Come Fill Me (The Prophecy)

by Donahue, Tina

  Hester, an eight-year-old, eluded David who’d just turned seven. She laughed at his failure to touch her, then squealed as he really poured on the steam, determined to eliminate her from the play.

  Zeke watched, smiling one moment, sighing the next, his anguish over losing Gabrielle coloring his joy at seeing these kids engaging in normal activities, having the chance to be safe, to grow up. He pictured his daughter doing the same, his thoughts speaking to her as they so often did.

  Are you doing all right today, baby? Do you and your mama feel safe finally? Happy?

  An infant shrieked, capturing Zeke’s attention but not alarming him. The little boy was safe within his mother’s embrace, his scowl on Liz. She was dressed in jeans and a tee provided by one of the clan’s younger women. Bent at the waist, she cooed at the baby, telling him he was a big boy, a good boy while tickling his pudgy belly. His next cry was more subdued, his expression confused as to what he should feel. Outrage at a stranger being so close and having the audacity to touch him? Curiosity as to who she might be? A bit of trust that she’d do him no harm?

  Liz settled the matter by making funny faces and stroking the boy beneath his chin.

  He gave her a tentative smile, a thin line of drool seeping from the side of his mouth. He gurgled next, his complexion going from bright red back to its normal shade. Didn’t last. A series of coughs shook his small body.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Liz assured, running her hand over his unruly black hair.

  Exhausted from his coughing, he sagged into his mother, making no protest as Liz put her ear to his chest to listen to his breathing.

  To Zeke, she looked like a healer from the fifteen hundreds rather than a modern-day pediatrician. Damn. He pushed his fingers through his hair, pulling it away from his neck. He had to get Liz a stethoscope and other medical equipment so she could do her job properly, the way a regular physician would. Having her heal the clan’s children wasn’t going to be as simple as he’d first thought. Her gift was even more of a risk to them than it had been with him and Jacob.

  “If I allow the energy within me to flow inside a child, much less an infant, it could be worse than what’s making them sick,” she’d explained. “Children are still growing. My gift might interfere with that process in ways we don’t know, something that might not manifest itself until much later. Maybe that’s what my father was talking about when he kept warning me to be careful. What if the accelerated healing does something to a child’s cells, causing them to divide even faster, out of control?”

  She’d been speaking of cancer, giving leukemia or bone tumors to innocent children.

  “When my father still practiced, he never once used his gift on his patients,” she said. “I’ll examine the kids, but if what they have is more serious than minor abrasions or the sniffles, they’ll have to have regular medical attention.”

  The kind she could provide with the proper supplies. Unfortunately, all the clan had was over-the-counter medications.

  He had to get the prescription stuff and everything else Liz might need, including her violet-scented shampoo and perfume that he liked so much. He wasn’t going to bring her back. Day after day, he’d given her excuses as to why she was still here. He’d kept her busy with checking out the kids, using those small souls to bond her to his clan.

  Thank God for children. Most made it to their early teens before they learned to distrust. The adults, however, were already there big-time. The baby’s mother wore a neutral expression as Liz examined her son, but Zeke saw the wariness and simmering hatred in the young woman’s eyes.

  No different from Kele’s.

  The first morning of Liz’s stay here, Kele had been sitting on the floor outside Jacob’s room, not even trying to hide the fact that she’d been there all evening, waiting for him to emerge. When he did—along with Liz—Zeke could only imagine what Kele was thinking. What she’d heard throughout the night.

  Jacob hadn’t even tried to be quiet or to control his urges. Although he hadn’t confronted Zeke directly about wanting Liz, he’d made his demands known. When Zeke carried her out of the bath and placed her on the mattress, Jacob followed, climbing on the bed, draping his body over hers before Zeke could, kissing her breathless.

  She’d submitted, stealing glimpses at Zeke, her expression urging him not to start anything that might turn out bad. Like a good boy, he’d restrained himself and wasn’t pleased with the outcome. After a time, Jacob’s foreplay distracted Liz to the point of no return. Her lewd moans encouraged Jacob to continue kissing her neck, suckling her nipples, running his hand between her legs.

  Only when he’d finished mounting her and had fallen back to sleep did Zeke have a chance to gather Liz in his arms, asking what he never thought he would. “What do you want?” Who?

  In answer, she wound a strand of his hair around her forefinger and brushed her lips over his cheek. Their satiny warmth sent a shiver of delight through Zeke, making him crave even more. Everything she could possibly give. He increased his grip, hugging her as hard as he could without hurting her.

  Liz whispered, “Do you even have to ask?”

  Yeah, he did. With her, he didn’t feel like the big-shot leader of his clan or a powerful seer charged with everyone’s protection. He was a fucking insecure guy who wasn’t about to share his woman with anyone. Not even his damn baby brother. Maybe him especially. “Answer me.”

  His demand had her snuggling closer, trying to calm. “You,” she breathed, then rubbed her nose on his shoulder. “I want you.”

  She’d spoken quietly so Jacob wouldn’t overhear or awaken. Zeke took her then, driving his cock into her cunt without foreplay or permission. The tenor of her words, her caress and sweet sighs had given him the right to do exactly as he willed. He’d pounded into her as he hadn’t before, pulling Jacob from sleep.

  “Shit,” his brother complained, pushing to his elbows. “You’re bouncing the mattress so fucking bad I’m going to fall off.”

  Good. “If you don’t like it,” Zeke panted, then thrust again, “move to another goddamn room.”

  “No way. This one’s mine.”

  “Which I assigned to you.”

  “And now you’re taking it back? You actually have the gall to—”

  “Both of you shut up,” Liz ordered, then sucked in more air. “If you don’t, I’ll move to another room.”

  Her threat settled that argument, though not the ones Zeke sensed coming. He scanned the mothers in the yard. Their black hair gleamed in the sunlight that broke through the leaves. Many of them were watching Liz as she tended to her young patient. Concern flickered on their faces, along with continuing confusion as to why she was still here.

  Zeke hadn’t yet told them she was going to stay. He hadn’t figured out a way to make it happen except that it involved rescuing her father from Carreon, then bringing Dr. Munez here to be with her. With that settled, all Zeke had to do was get rid of Carreon and his men with attack after attack. The endless bloodshed Liz said she didn’t want. Zeke knew it was necessary and the only way any of them would be safe finally and free. Once that happened, she, he and her father could live out their lives together with his clan, building a new fu—

  A hand touched Zeke’s arm, interrupting his thoughts.

  “How are you feeling?” Isabel asked.

  An older woman, she’d been his mother’s BFF from the time they’d met in high school. Only a few lines marred Isabel’s coppery skin. If not for her graying hair, she would have been mistaken for a woman decades younger.

  Zeke took her hand in both of his. “I’m fine. So is Jacob.”

  She looked unconvinced and glanced past.

  On the edge of the yard beneath one of the cottonwoods, Zeke spotted Kele. She was watching Jacob as he watched Liz, his desire evident. Driven, Zeke knew, by Jacob’s unspoken and endless competition with him.

  “The doctor has to leave,” Isabel said, easing her hand from his. “You do know
that, don’t you, Zeke?”

  A pang of sorrow reduced him to silence. Answering her wasn’t something he could do right now, nor could he acquiesce to the wisdom of what Isabel had said. She was one of his people, but Liz had somehow become his life.

  “You have to see that she goes back today,” she said.

  Zeke cleared his throat. “No. I can’t.”

  She leaned closer so the others wouldn’t overhear. “What do you mean? Of course, you can. You have to.”

  “It’s not possible,” he insisted. “If Liz returns, she’ll die. Carreon will kill her. I’ve seen it in my visions.”

  Her frown deepened. “She heals his men so they can continue to slaughter our people. Why would he want her dead?”

  “Because he’s amoral, a psychopath. Have you forgotten what he had his men do to his own father so he could take control? Have you forgotten what his men did to Gabrielle, Angie and the other women who were at the birthday party that day?”

  “Zeke, easy.” She stroked his shoulder, smoothing the soft cotton of his tee as a mother might, trying to calm him. “Of course, I haven’t forgotten about your daughter and Angie. No one here ever will. I’m trying to look at this realistically.”

  “And I’m not?”

  She withdrew her hand. “I don’t think you are. Listen to me, please,” she said when he turned away.

  On a pissed huff, Zeke faced her again.

  Isabel checked to make certain no one was watching them or listening before she continued. “Even if her and Carreon’s shared blood doesn’t mean anything to him, she’s still an asset to his operation because of her gift. Your vision could be wrong. It could be colored by your feelings for her.”

  “My feelings have nothing to do with this. The vision came before I’d even met her, Isabel.”

  “But you might be interpreting it wrong.”

  “His hands around Liz’s throat choking her were pretty damn clear to me. How else could I interpret that? Why would you want me to ignore it? What has Liz ever done to you that you’d want her dead?”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t hate the woman. I never said I wanted her to come to harm.”

  “Good. I don’t want Liz hurt either, which means she has to stay here. Not only for her own safety,” he added quickly, “but for the clan’s.”

  She frowned. “Her being here puts us at risk. It’s already caused problems between Kele and Jacob.”

  Zeke sighed. “Every woman in this clan who’s under forty is competition for Kele. We can’t get rid of all of them to make her happy or to make Jacob love her, can we. Sending Liz back isn’t going to solve that problem. All it would do would put her and the clan at risk. If she returns to Carreon, he’ll threaten to kill her father if she doesn’t reveal the location of this stronghold. She wouldn’t last a second in that situation, any more than you or the others here would when faced with losing someone they love. I can’t allow Carreon to do that to her or to put any of us in his crosshairs.”

  Her graying brows continued to lift. “Zeke, listen to what you’re saying, please. Liz was in the back of the van. She couldn’t possibly have seen the route. She can’t possibly reveal something she doesn’t know.”

  “Do you think that matters to someone like Carreon? Liz knows of this place’s existence. That’s all that counts. Carreon’s men will search the mountains where they’ve never thought to look before. It may take them some time, but they’ll eventually discover this place.”

  “They might do that in any event. The others have been talking and want her gone today. As soon as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to bring her back to him. Take her to a place where Carreon will never find her, as long as it’s not here. She can’t stay in our stronghold.”

  “Why not?” he argued, his frustration turning to the same helplessness he’d felt upon losing Gabrielle. A feeling he loathed and refused to experience again. “Liz can treat the children, making certain they stay healthy. She can heal our men if Carreon attacks them on the outside. She’s what we’ve been waiting for.”

  Isabel stepped back. “No, Zeke. She’s what you’ve been waiting for. I see it in your eyes. Hear it in your voice. With her, you’re different than you were with Angie or the other women in the clan. I’ve known you all your life. I’ve seen you sacrifice everything for our people until now. You refuse to believe Liz is poison to our kind. Forget that she’s come between Jacob and Kele; she’s doing the same with you and your own brother. The only person who should count. Doesn’t that worry you?”

  “He’ll get over Liz,” Zeke muttered.

  “And if he doesn’t? Do you intend to fight him for her?”

  If necessary. “It won’t come to that.”

  “It already has.” She flung out her arm. “Look at him.”

  No way. He figured Jacob was drooling over Liz, oblivious to Kele’s hurt and Zeke’s mounting anger. “I’ll have a talk with him as soon as you and I are finished. Settle this before it gets out of hand.”

  “Talking will do no good. Your brother wants what he wants as you do. You’ll regret her staying here.”

  How wrong she was. He’d die if Liz left. What Zeke felt for her was so unique, so precious it stole his breath, leaving him barely able to function. A frightening feeling…a marvelous one he refused to live without. “I’ll make certain no harm comes to our people. I’d never put any of you at risk.”

  “You already have,” she said and left his side.

  Chapter Nine

  On her back, Liz regarded the ceiling of Jacob’s bedroom, unwatched by anyone. Only in here did she have any real freedom within the compound. During the evening meal of black beans, sweet potato crisp and native fry bread, she’d remained surrounded yet alone, watched by the women and the elderly men who sat at other tables in the large dining area.

  No one told her where Zeke, Jacob and the rest of the young men might be. She didn’t ask, figuring they were discussing her. Why she was still here, when she’d be leaving, with Zeke dancing around his answers to them as he had with her.

  After the meal, an older woman had escorted Liz back to Jacob’s room. Kele was waiting at the end of the long hall, a silent sentinel whose mask of indifference didn’t quite hide her intense loathing.

  Liz pushed the memory from her mind and slid her arm to cover her eyes, blocking the persistent glow from the walls and ceiling. Earlier, she’d learned that the lamps weren’t the actual source of the illumination in here. They were all for show, to give one a sense of normalcy while living underground. When she’d turned the switches off so she could sink into darkness and relax, the glow persisted. She’d discovered then that there weren’t any bulbs in the lamps, just hunks of limestone. She’d touched the rocks to see what would happen. They dimmed, and the rest of the place lit up, mocking her, keeping her awake and alert, worried about too many things.

  Her father was still Carreon’s prisoner, no doubt helping that maniac in the hope that his acquiescence would somehow bring her back.

  Oh, Papa.

  She longed to cup his wrinkled face in her hands and watch over him as he and her mother had once done with her. A whimper rose to Liz’s throat, fueled by sorrow and frustration. She pushed it back, knowing part of what she felt was a fraud. Although she had no choice except to return and do whatever Carreon demanded, these last days here still called to her.

  The simple act of watching the children play had eased Liz’s loneliness as few things had. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d smiled as much. And the babies. Oh, the sweet dear babies with their chubby fists tugging her hair and their feet pressing into her thighs. When they’d finally lost their fear of her, their trust had been a gift, their weight and scents healing a part of Liz she’d once believed was beyond repair.

  Hope followed, and she found herself imagining one of those infants belonging to her and Zeke. Ridiculous, she knew, not to mention dangerous considering the world they lived in, the unending carnage betw
een their people. But there it was, insatiable yearning for what the average woman considered her right.

  Liz pictured herself heavy with Zeke’s child, his hand on her belly, feeling their son or daughter kick, the child wanting out, demanding to have its own way, no different from its father. She thought of Zeke’s tension draining away, replaced by the wonder of new life that he and she had created. Not as a substitute for Gabrielle. She’d always be in his heart, his little girl no one could ever replace. But a fresh start…a chance that Carreon might very well destroy with his next attack.

  What would losing another child do to Zeke?

  The thought was so awful Liz rolled to the side and pulled her legs to her chest in a fetal position. She clawed the blanket, wishing it were Carreon’s throat. He had to die. There was no other choice. There’d never be any peace until he did.

  And the means were within her.

  Her body went still. Her mind raced. Of course. Why hadn’t she thought of it before now? As Carreon’s ex-lover, she had the opportunity to get close enough to catch him off guard…to convince him of her loyalty, lying to him as he’d done so effortlessly with her. She’d tell him Zeke was a monster, raping her night after night, threatening to murder her if she didn’t heal his men. She’d make Carreon believe that she missed him, regretting having ever left his side. He was a narcissist, so he’d believe her and would resume their affair. She’d be with him at his most vulnerable times. And then…then…

  Frowning, Liz tried to envision her attack. While he was still inside of her, exhausted from his orgasm, she could claw his eyes, blinding him. The surprise of her attack, the pain of it would distract him for a few seconds. During that precious time, she’d punch his throat, breaking his hyoid bone.

  He wouldn’t be able to cry out for help. To finish the job, she’d dig her fingers into his neck, strangling him.

  Unless he fought her before she got that far. He was much stronger. His outrage at what she’d done would only add to that. Surprise couldn’t be her only weapon. They had to be equal before she began the battle, and the only way to accomplish that was for her to be armed. Yes. Liz sucked her bottom lip as she thought about it. Before she returned to Carreon, she could take one of the weapons here, if she could find out where Zeke stored them. Since her arrival, she hadn’t seen anyone carrying a gun. Could be they didn’t want to alarm the children. Could be she’d never get close to the damned things.