Destined for Time (Myths and Legends)

by Stacie Simpson

  My heart started to race when I was still a few steps away. Moving in closer I crouched down to get a better look at her face. The thin nose sprinkled with freckles, heart shaped lips, and high cheekbones defined a face that I would recognize anywhere. This girl, Emily, had been Rachel’s best friend since they were both two years old. Until recently, where one went the other one followed.

  Trying again to call Rachel I got her voice telling me, “Leave me a message and maybe I’ll make all your dreams come true.”

  I shoved my phone back in my pocket. I had numbers for all of her old friends but she hadn’t seen them in months and I didn’t know how to contact her new friends except by checking their usual hangouts. That would take me all night and the sinking feeling in my gut told me I wouldn’t have that much time.

  Ugh! I wanted to scream but making a scene in front of the press was a big no-no.

  Tony was surprised when I told him I was having a family emergency and I needed him to cover for me, but he said he had no problem with that and told me to take off. I turned the key to start my engine then slammed the car into reverse. Once I was facing the right direction I punched the gas pedal and went to the one person my instincts told me could help.

  Storming through the double doors of the main entrance at Myths and Legends I marched over to the front desk where I demanded, “Get me Rook, I need him here now.”

  The man behind the desk did one of those slow blinks then nodded his head and made a call on the house phone. Not even two minutes later Rook appeared beside me. His eyes raked over my body from head to toe appraising me then he asked, “What’s happened?”

  Up until that second I hadn’t let it really sink in. I hadn’t let myself think about the possibility that I might never see Rachel alive again. But looking into Rook’s concerned face my heart ripped wide open and tears sprang to my eyes.

  Rook wrapped me in a warm embrace while I cried, stroking my arms and my back, providing comfort when I needed it most. I felt the most curious sensation, almost like the low level hum of energy I’d felt emanating from him before, but different somehow. It was soothing and I pressed my cheek against his chest trying to get closer to its source.

  “Angela baby, I need you to tell me what’s going on so I can help you,” he said quietly.

  “The girl lying in the sand out there is Emily Keaton,” I murmured just as quietly. “She was Rachel’s best friend. I can remember her sitting at my kitchen table eating Froot Loops when she was three years old.” I looked up wiping tears from my cheeks. “I can’t get a hold of Rachel and chances are good she was with Emily tonight. I need your help Rook.”

  “Are you sure she would’ve been with Emily? Most of the girls that have turned up on the beach were missing for at least a couple of weeks before they were found.”

  I nodded. “I just saw Emily yesterday and Rachel told me they were going out together tonight. Emily has been just as concerned about Rachel as I have.” My gaze dropped hiding my guilt from Rook’s perceptive eyes. “I remember being so happy they were hanging out again, thinking maybe Emily would help Rachel get back on the right track, but instead it only got Emily killed.” I shook my head and he tightened his arms around me for a moment.

  “I know where to start looking. Are you parked out front?” When I nodded he told the man behind the desk he’d be leaving the resort for a while, then we went to his office to grab his coat. Once he was ready to go he took my hand and led me outside to my rebuilt 1965 Mustang Fastback with its candy apple red paint job. I gave him the keys, thinking I shouldn’t drive while I was so upset, and got in the passenger door as he went around to the other side of the vehicle.

  Rook maneuvered his way through the spring break traffic like a pro and pretty soon we were out of the tourist laden areas of town driving through a high class residential neighborhood.

  “You really think we might find Rachel out here?” I looked around at the ever larger houses as we passed one gated estate after another.

  He didn’t answer right away and when he did I heard the doubt in his voice. “If she’s not here Kaleb should be able to help us track her down. But he wouldn’t like knowing I brought a human cop to his place of business so you probably shouldn’t mention your current occupation.”

  “And what is it that Kaleb wants to hide from the police?” I inquired, watching to see the slight twitch of his eye that always meant he didn’t want to tell me the truth. Over the years I’d been studying his facial expressions and I was fairly sure I knew when he was holding something back and when he was telling me an outright lie.

  “Kaleb is half demon and half human. His demon side gives him added strength and speed and he’s a trained killer. He recently fought eleven other demons in a free-for-all death match to win a highly coveted prize.”

  He slid his eyes towards me for a second and I knew this was the part I wouldn’t like. “They called her a virgin sacrifice. He raped her there in The Pit while thousands of demons cheered him on. Then he dragged her from the ring by her chains back to his place where she is currently serving as his house slave while he tries to get her pregnant with his child. Half demons always have trouble procreating so he’s probably raping her several times a day to increase his chances of getting a ‘viable offspring’, his words not mine. You might remember; we talked about this that night on Dragon’s terrace. We tried to buy her freedom but he declined and said he wants to keep her for at least six months to see if he can get her pregnant.”

  The Chinese food I’d eaten earlier threatened to come back up and I rolled down the window and gulped in the fresh air. Rook reached over and put his hand on my shoulder for a moment.

  When he returned it to the wheel he said, “Kaleb is a slaver. He rounds up the runaways and loners that no one will look too hard for and sells them to scum like Travali. If he has Rachel she most likely hasn’t been harmed since he’d want his merchandise to look its best for the buyers.”

  Even as he gave me that small bit of hope my stomach heaved and I hung my head out the window. Rook pulled over and swept the hair that had fallen loose from its clip away from my face. When my stomach was empty and it finally stopped heaving I drank the rest of the soda I’d gotten with my dinner and dug a breath mint out of my purse.

  “We’re almost there. Are you going to be able to handle this?”

  “I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m a homicide detective for God’s sake.” I laid my seat back and closed my eyes.

  “It’s your daughter Angela; don’t be so hard on yourself. No one would expect you to be unaffected by what I’ve told you considering that monster might very well have Rachel with him now. I told you the things I did so you could react now and pull yourself together before we go into Kaleb’s house.”

  I sighed. He was right. I needed to pull myself together and go find my baby girl. She may not want my love or protection these days but she would always have them.

  I sat up and Rook hesitated then said, “When we get there I need you to follow my lead no matter what I say or do and remember we can’t save everyone no matter how much we may want to.”

  “Why doesn’t anyone put a stop to what Kaleb is doing?” It was obvious Rook was just as sickened by Kaleb as I was, but at the same time he seemed accepting of his business activities.

  “There are unspeakable atrocities committed around this world and many others every day by beings like Kaleb and humans alike. Just like the United States can’t dictate how men in the Middle East treat women, we cannot dictate how demons treat humans. Plus, there simply aren’t enough supernaturals that believe he’s doing anything wrong. To most demons and vampires humans are born to serve them in whatever way they choose.”

  I didn’t like what he had to say but I was starting to realize his world played by a different set of rules than mine did. “I’ll do what I need to do to get Rachel back safely.”

  Rook put the car back in gear and drove a short distance before turning down a pri
vate driveway. After about fifty feet we came to an iron gate where Rook looked into the security camera then the gate rolled to one side to admit us. We continued down the tree-lined, winding road until we reached an enormous plantation style house. Rook parked right in front and when he met me by my door I’d stuffed all my emotions deep inside, buried them under years of police training so I could face whatever horrors I might see in this place.

  We climbed the wide staircase and just as we approached the door it was opened by an odd looking man, and I use that term loosely. He was probably only four-foot-eight, thin with grayish blue skin and a row of tiny spikes arching across his forehead.

  “This is most unexpected Master Rook, do you come with word from your king?” the little grayish blue man asked.

  “No, Jonathan, I’m here on personal business.” Rook replied and I noticed that a change had come over him. I’d always imagined Rook as a skilled fighter based on his build, the way he moves, and his chosen profession. But something was different. While he was always alert of his surroundings, his eyes never staying still for long, now he seemed to be hyperaware of everything around us. He spent so much time teasing and flirting with me that I sometimes forgot about the lethal aura I’d sensed when we first met.

  Jonathan eyed him curiously then stood aside and gestured with his hand that we could enter. “Master Kaleb is in the parlor on the right.”

  When we walked into the parlor my mouth nearly dropped to the floor but I managed to catch myself before anyone noticed my shock.

  “When you said slaver, I was thinking chains and cells,” I whispered in Rook’s ear.

  His jaw tightened and he leaned down to breath, “That comes later. Why upset the girls before there’s any need to?”

  A chill went up my spine. I wanted to warn all these girls that they had no idea what they were getting into but I understood that would bring more trouble than Rook and I could handle alone.

  The parlor was filled with young girls dressed to party in tight skimpy dresses and ridiculously high heels. Their hair and makeup looked like they were done by professionals and every one of them had an expensive looking bracelet on her wrist.

  The girls were standing or sitting on the delicate antique furniture with men, or males of various ages and races or species. I wondered why the girls didn’t seem to question the obvious horns and oddly colored skin on some of the men. The entire scene made me think of a cocktail party, or a gathering at a whore house where men get to choose which women they want to accompany them upstairs. But these weren’t women; they were children, even if they were all eighteen like Rachel.

  Rook wove his way through the crowd with me on his heels to a tall man in his early twenties who had light brown skin and closely cropped hair with tight little curls. He was attractive and going by the way all the girls giggled when he spoke, he was charming.

  As we approached his eyes lifted to Rook’s then he gave me a heated look with an appreciative smile curving his lips.

  A low growl rumbled in Rook’s throat and the man frowned in response. Then he shooed the girls away as we halted in front of him.

  “What brings you to my humble abode Sa’jon Ruk,” He asked with a wide smile not offering to shake hands.

  Rook glanced at me as my eyes narrowed wondering what the man had called him. The last part sounded like Rook but I had no idea what any of it meant.

  “Kaleb, this is Angela and she is my anai. We have reason to believe her daughter is here tonight.” There was another word I didn’t recognize. Why couldn’t they just use English?

  Kaleb quirked an eyebrow and asked me, “Do you have a picture of your daughter so I might be able to help you locate her?”

  “Yes, I have several here on my phone,” I replied as I fished my phone out of my jacket pocket and showed him.

  His expression turned stony and he asked, “You are his anai?”

  I had no idea what the word meant but it seemed pretty important. “Yes, I am.”

  Kaleb looked back at Rook sternly and said, “I don’t want any trouble here in my house.”

  Rook didn’t back down, if anything his bearing became more menacing. “Why would there be trouble Kaleb?”

  “In the future Angela, I would advise you to keep your daughter locked up at night or the time will come when not even Sa’jon Ruk can save her,” Kaleb told me seriously, then to Rook he said, “She’s in the last door on the left with Danarius.” Kaleb pointed down a hallway.

  Rook was already in motion. That hum of energy I’d felt earlier returned but it was no longer soothing, it felt predatory and it was gaining strength. Doorways seemed to blur as we hurried past them until finally we reached the end of the long corridor. Rook flung the thick wooden door open and it banged against the wall on the other side. He stopped in the doorway and I tried to walk around him to see what was inside. His arm shot out to stop me but I’d already seen what he was trying to protect me from.

  There was a man in the room lounging in an overstuffed armchair. He looked about thirty-four just like me, had medium brown hair, a broad chest and a square masculine jaw. In front of him on her knees was my daughter. Rachel was dressed only in a red thong and matching bra and she was pumping his cock with her hand while her mouth slid over its tip.

  “Rachel Marie Ruby, get your ass over here right now,” I hissed from behind Rook.

  She didn’t hesitate, just continued going as if she hadn’t even heard me.

  “Rachel!”

  “She can’t hear you, he’s taken over her mind,” Rook informed me.

  “Here to rescue stray kittens, Rook? You surprise me, but you’ll have to get your own kitten to play with. I rather like this one.”

  The man threaded his big hands into Rachel’s hair and forced her mouth farther down his shaft. I couldn’t watch but I couldn’t turn away. I needed to help my baby girl but what could I do? The man was obviously not human. I wondered if bullets would do me any good if I shot him.

  “Danarius, this young girl is the daughter of my anai, and therefore my daughter as well,” Rook told him calmly. I on the other hand was anything but calm, and did he just say what I think he said?

  Danarius glanced at me. “You may want her to be your anai, but there is nothing binding her to you. What’s wrong Rook, not demon enough to take what you want? Until you are, this tasty young morsel is free game.”

  I wanted to know what they were talking about, but with Rachel’s head still moving up and down explanations would have to wait for later. If Rook didn’t do something to stop this soon I was going to scream.

  Danarius groaned and started lifting his hips, shoving himself deep into Rachel’s mouth. I heard her gagging. His body tensed then there was an explosion of energy and everything froze. That is everything except for me and Rook.

  “What the...”

  “No time to explain right now,” Rook said as he strode forward and threw Rachel over his shoulder.

  When he was back in the doorway the world started spinning again and Danarius growled furiously, “What the fuck?” He was still in the chair but instead of emptying himself in Rachel’s mouth he was shooting his seed up the front of his shirt.

  He turned a murderous glare on Rook, his previously brown eyes turning flat black.

  “Not in Kaleb’s house Danarius,” Rook reminded harshly as Rachel seemed to wake from a dream. She started to struggle and Rook set her down and shoved her behind him. When she noticed me standing there she swore and started walking down the hall still wearing her heels with her bra and panties.

  Danarius reined in his anger taking deep breaths until his clenched fists began to relax. Rook and I stood by the doorway waiting.

  “It’s seems this woman you’ve brought with you is more than she appears,” Danarius commented, eyeing me speculatively.

  “She is my anai, and she’s none of your concern. Stay away from what belongs to me Danarius,” Rook warned.

  “For now Rook, but don’t thin
k either one of them will be safe for long. That little kitten is going to suffer for the insult you’ve delivered tonight, and her mother will be auctioned off for the power she could give others of your kind,” Danarius promised.

  “Let’s go,” Rook said indicating I should go first. He followed behind keeping an eye on the door at the end of the hall to make sure Danarius wasn’t going to try anything. I hurried to catch up to Rachel and took her by the arm when I did.

  When we reached the parlor Kaleb asked sardonically, “Get what you came for?”

  The girls in the parlor stared at us in shock as we passed by while the men glared at Rook murderously.

  We just kept walking. When we got to the car Rook removed his coat to place it over Rachel’s shivering shoulders.

  “What are you doing here Mom,” Rachel whined.

  “Not now Rachel, we need to get out of here,” I told her as I shoved her into the tiny back seat of the Mustang.

  She went in with a huff and I pushed my seat back, sat down and buckled up.

  Rook got in the other side and said, “You need to take that bracelet off Rachel. It’ll have some kind of tracking device in it and I’d rather Kaleb not know where I’m taking you.”

  I sucked in a harsh breath. These people, or rather these demons were tracking my child’s movements with beautiful jewelry?

  “But I like this bracket,” Rachel protested in a whiny voice, “and who are you to tell me what to do anyway?”

  I turned around and grabbed her wrist then I yanked the delicate bracket off and dropped it out the window. “Didn’t I teach you not to accept gifts from strangers young lady?”