Taken Over

by Erica Stevens

  I managed a small smile for him but I couldn’t shake my lingering guilt. I breathed a soft sigh of love and desire as his lips traveled down to my own, seizing hold of my mouth with a growing hunger that caused my bones to quiver. He was right; this was all that we needed from now on.

  “Bethany!” I jumped in startled surprise at the sharp bark that broke into our bliss. “Where the hell have you…”

  Aiden’s voice broke off as Cade straightened above me; his dark eyes were hooded as he surveyed Aiden. Shock widened Aiden’s eyes, his mouth dropped as he stopped abruptly. “Cade?” he squeaked in surprise.

  “Hey Aiden.”

  Aiden’s mouth dropped even further, probably due more to Cade’s nonchalant response than the fact that he was actually standing there. Aiden’s eyes flew to me, shock and disbelief radiated from him. He came slowly forward, his eyebrows drawing tightly together as he surveyed Cade from head to toe with disbelief.

  “You’re alive.”

  “I am,” Cade agreed.

  “What? How?” Aiden sputtered. Then he broke into a grin and grabbed hold of Cade’s arm and pulled him close in a quick embrace. “This is amazing! It’s great to see you!”

  “You too.”

  “We thought you were dead, how are you still alive?”

  “Not now Aiden,” I interjected. Leave it to my brother to pounce on Cade with questions. He was like a dog with a bone sometimes, I just hoped that this was one bone he was willing to let go of. At least for a little while.

  Aiden’s gaze slid to me. “Did you know?”

  I started in surprise. “No. Of course not.”

  Aiden frowned at me. “Then what were you doing? Why did you leave if you didn’t know he was out here?”

  I shook my head, taking strength in Cade’s solid presence as he wrapped his fingers through mine. “I just needed to get away for a bit. Needed some time to myself.”

  “In the woods? By yourself!?” I shifted uncomfortably. “How long have you been doing that for?”

  “Aiden…”

  “Damn it Bethany!” he snapped. Then his gaze slid to Cade. “I hope that is all over now.”

  “I like the woods, they’re peaceful. I found solace in them.”

  “And now you won’t need to.”

  I glared at Aiden, he may be right, but that didn’t mean I still didn’t want to beat the hell out of him right now. Cade knew that I loved him, that I had been lost without him, but I didn’t want him to think I was moping around for the past month. Even if I had been. I wanted him to think that I was strong, that I had been surviving, and not trying to kill myself. I didn’t want him to think that I’d quit, when I hadn’t.

  “I like being alone in the woods,” I grated out.

  “Not anymore.” I shot Cade a dark look. “I’ll be coming with you now.”

  I wanted to argue with him for taking Aiden’s side, wanted to protest that I was fine on my own, but I simply didn’t have it in me. All I could do was smile up at him. In all honesty I didn’t really care if I went into the woods on my own again, or not. It didn’t matter as long as Cade was by my side.

  ***

  Cade stood silently in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest, his eyes hooded as he surveyed the room. Though his posture was casual, tension hummed through his body. Bishop prattled eagerly on, explaining how he hoped that my blood would hold the answer. Cade’s displeasure was nearly palpable as his eyes followed Bishop’s every move.

  He had been back for almost three days now, but much to everyone’s displeasure, he refused to talk about what he had gone through, what he had seen. He had also tried to keep me from Bishop. For the most part Cade still seemed like the person I had lost, but there were other times when he was distant, almost harsh. There was a current of hostility thrumming through him that only eased when we were alone together, which was far rarer than I wanted or liked.

  The first night had been spent making our way through the dark, staying to the woods as we moved toward Boston. We had stopped to stay in an old house sheltered in a cove deep in the woods. Unfortunately, there weren’t many rooms and though we slept at each other’s sides at night, we were never alone.

  Those onyx eyes slid toward me, his strong jaw clenched tight. There was a smoldering heat in his gaze that warmed the very marrow of my bones. “I do need a fresh sample though, if you don’t mind Bethy. You’re off the antibiotics now.”

  “Ah sure,” I answered absently. Cade took a step toward me; he looked as if he was going to protest but remained silent. It was moments like these, when he looked about ready to punch something that had everyone weary of him, and me more than a little concerned.

  I was rolling my sleeve up for Bishop when a shout rang out. Leaping from the chair I had been sitting upon, I pulled the gun swiftly from my waistband. Something flashed through Cade’s eyes; he reached out as if to stop me, but seemed to reconsider it as his hand fell back to his side. He moved with me as I hurried through the house. Bret and Aiden were out there somewhere; they had gone out with a group of people to help scavenge for food.

  Terror for them hammered through me, I was sprinting by the time I slammed into the screen door. The weight of my body caused it to fling open but Cade grabbed hold of it before it slammed closed. I flew across the porch, coming up short, my gun raised as I took in the crowd gathered in a circle. Darnell and Lloyd stood at the front of the circle, their guns leveled at the young man that stood in the center with his hands raised above his head.

  “I come in peace,” he quipped, using his raised fingers to flash the Vulcan salute. He was grinning brightly despite the fact that he was teetering on the edge of being shot. I kept my gun aimed at the man’s chest; I was at a good angle on the porch to fire if I had too. Even if he was human. None of us kidded ourselves into believing that the aliens were our only enemies anymore. There were humans we would have to fear too. Humans that would want to take from us what little we had.

  The smile slipped slowly from his face as he seemed to finally realize that he was in real danger. His hands raised minutely, his dark eyebrows lifted slightly as he surveyed the crowd. Cade stepped forward suddenly, blocking me as the young man’s dark eyes swung in our direction. There was something about Cade, something dark and deadly. We may have had guns but for one stunning moment, I became certain that he was the deadliest one amongst us.

  The young man’s eyes rested upon Cade for a moment, narrowing slightly before sliding toward me. There was a moment, one brief intense moment, when I could almost feel the crackle of tension that filled the air. I would have thought that perhaps I was imagining it, but several heads turned in our direction. In Cade’s direction. One of them was Bret, who studied Cade with a weary expression that left me feeling oddly hollow. The two of them had not ended things on a good note and the lingering hostility between them was starting to grate on my nerves but for one instant Bret stared at Cade as if he didn’t even know him and it scared the hell out of me.

  “What do you want?” Darnell demanded sharply.

  The man’s dark eyes slid slowly toward Darnell. He was supporting a buzz cut; his hair was black stubble against his skull. His dark olive skin gleamed in the fading light of the day. He was striking, and seemed affable enough, but there was obviously something about him that Cade did not like. “I just want some shelter, maybe some food. There is safety in numbers, isn’t there?”

  There was a long moment of silence. “Are you by yourself?”

  The man nodded. “I am. Can I lower my hands now?”

  “Never told you to raise ‘em,” Darnell retorted with amusement.

  The man grinned. It was a devilish smile that caused more than a few of the women in the group to melt as the moved closer to him. He was fresh meat and it was more than obvious that they were interested in him. Apparently pickings were slim in the group; it wasn’t something I had noticed until Cade’s return. The women had been very interested in Cade when he had appeared, but
he paid them no attention, and they had quickly realized that he was not available.

  “We have some food if you want,” Darnell told him.

  “And a place to stay?”

  Cade stiffened. I took a step forward but he nudged me gently back. I opened my mouth to protest but the slight shake of his head silenced me. “We’ll see,” Darnell told him. “Lloyd take this man to Molly, I’m sure she has some food for him.” Darnell leaned close to Lloyd and said something that caused Lloyd to nod in response. He stepped forward as the man’s gaze slid back toward Cade and then focused on me. My eyes widened slightly as he stared at me for a long moment, a strange light shining in his dark eyes.

  “Go inside Bethany,” Cade ordered softly.

  I balked against his commanding tone. “Cade…”

  He turned toward me, his face tense and his eyes burning. He grasped hold of my shoulders, turning me toward the door. Though he was trying to be casual as he slipped his arm around my shoulders and led me in, his body was tight, and I caught the backwards glance he threw over his shoulder. I wanted to protest his movements but the tautness of his body silenced my words. He was obviously disturbed about something, obviously upset the man had arrived.

  “Do you know him?” I inquired.

  “No.”

  I frowned, the disquieting notion that he was lying to me again filled me as I studied the stiff set of his jaw. “You seem upset by his presence.”

  “Don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

  “And you think he’ll hurt someone?”

  Cade shrugged. “We can’t trust him until we know him, but it’s foolish to give him the chance to do something. Things can go wrong very quickly.”

  That was a fact that we were both well aware of. The screen door opened, causing us both to turn as Darnell came stomping inside. “We’re moving again. Let Bishop know.”

  “But we just got here.” I hadn’t seen Jenna standing in the doorway of the downstairs bathroom until she’d spoken. Her hair was in wet curls as it hung around her shoulders. Her sky eyes were wide with dismay as she surveyed Darnell.

  “Better safe than sorry. There could be other people out there and we don’t know if we can trust him.”

  Jenna frowned at Darnell’s statement but he moved past her before he could elaborate. “What does that mean?”

  I explained it to her as we made our way toward the back, and Bishop. He was going to be disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to get a fresh blood sample out of me again. For some strange reason, I was acutely relieved by the fact. Cade disapproved of Bishop using me as a guinea pig, and I wasn’t certain I wanted the answers that Bishop’s new round of tests might reveal.

  CHAPTER 13

  I studied the map, barely listening as Darnell outlined the path he wanted to take. Some of it was going to be rough terrain, but at least it was mainly woods. We had been on the move for the past three days, only now settling down once more for a rest. We were going to spend a few days at the small hotel we had discovered nestled at the edge of the woods. On the other side of the large cabin-like building was a sparkling blue lake. Everyone had been ordered to stay away from the lake, only the woods were a secure position in which to remain hidden. It was a good thing the weather had become cooler; I didn’t think I’d be able to resist the allure of the dark blue water otherwise.

  I glanced at the people gathered around the table. Aiden and Lloyd were close together, Jenna stood slightly behind Bret, leaning over his shoulder. It looked like an intimate posture for the two of them, but unfortunately it was simply because it was the only place she had been able to squeeze in. Bret was still annoyingly obtuse to her, not because of me, but because he had become focused on becoming even more of a soldier, and spent every free moment he had training with the remaining troops. Bishop was standing beside the two other soldiers, Private Mick Smith and Private Frank Doogal.

  There were a few other people gathered around, but I was acutely aware of the fact that Cade was not present. And neither was Ian Hoyt, the enigmatic man that had wandered into our camp just days ago. Cade was weary of him still, distant, and he did whatever he could to keep me as far from Ian as possible. I had wanted to question him on it, but we barely had a moment alone, never mind time to have an in depth conversation. I was hoping that our stay in this hotel would give us a chance for some much needed, and wanted, privacy.

  My attention left Darnell and the map as I scanned the crowd once more. I didn’t know where Cade had gone, but for the past two days he had been hard to read. I was worried about him, but he still wouldn’t talk to me, still wouldn’t tell me what had happened to him while he’d been gone. What they had done to him.

  Tension. There was always tension within him, always something simmering close to the surface. Something I was becoming more frightened was going to explode, no matter how tight of a hold he tried to keep on it. And he was keeping a very tight hold on it, that much was apparent. Even if it was only apparent to me.

  A light touch on my elbow pulled me away from my morose thoughts. I blinked Bishop into focus. Apparently the meeting was over. “We’re staying for a few days. I would like to finally get a sample if I could.”

  My throat was suddenly dry, but I managed a brief nod. I could not put Bishop off forever, could not hide from what may be hidden within my blood. I worried about Cade’s secrets, but I think he suspected I was harboring a few of my own. He didn’t question me about it, but I was well aware of the fact that he was watching me even more than normal. Even more than those times I had caught him studying me in the halls at school, or on the streets when I had felt his gaze on me, and been drawn to him, but had been too shy to approach him in anyway.

  It was all very confusing but neither of us seemed willing to talk about what we were going through, or our doubts. I took comfort in the fact that at least he was back, at least the world did not appear as dark and cold with him here. However, now it wasn’t the world that was dark and cold, but Cade himself.

  And I was even more confused about the changes going on inside of me. Changes that had increased since that thing had attacked me in Plymouth. My craving for meat had increased, it was a battle to avoid it now, one that left me strained and exhausted by the end of every day. I almost hoped that this fresh sample of blood would provide Bishop with the answers he sought, but I was terrified of what those answers might be.

  “Of course,” I murmured.

  I followed Bishop up the steps of the hotel. He had set up his new research area in the small ballroom tucked in between two larger ballrooms. The three rooms could be combined by opening the partition that separated them. When they were all combined the rooms took up almost three quarters of the first floor of the hotel. I imagined it had been a beautiful spot for weddings and parties.

  I sat on the stool that Bishop patted lightly before turning away to grab his ever present needle. My other, tainted, blood samples had been disposed of. Bishop had seen no need to keep them since they were ruined, and I had returned alive. “Do you really think this could work?”

  I turned in surprise; I hadn’t realized that Darnell, Lloyd, Aiden, and Jenna had followed us into the room. I had been so caught up in my own worries and fears that I hadn’t noticed them behind us. “It’s a possibility,” Bishop muttered.

  “But it could save more lives, if we can get to the remaining frozen people in time?” Darnell pressed.

  We were all acutely aware of the fact that we hadn’t come across any of the human statues in a long time. Though there had been some destruction and debris left here, there had been no bodies, and very little blood. I tried not to think about the possibility that they were all dead. That it was already too late to save anyone, no matter how hard we tried. “There’s no way to know that, but we can hope.”

  “So they could all be dead already. This could all be for nothing.” My voice was weak, listless with despair as Bishop stabbed me. I had been poked and prodded more times than I wished to
count, we had risked our lives and experienced awful things to go to Plymouth, and it could have all been for nothing.

  “They’re not dead. At least not all of them anyway.”

  I jumped slightly, a sharp pain shooting through me as I twisted on the stool and jerked the syringe in my arm. I didn’t know when he had arrived but Cade was now standing in the doorway, his eyes narrowed upon the needle stuck in my arm. His displeasure was obvious as he watched us.

  “Who’s not dead?” Darnell asked quietly.

  “The Frozen Ones.”

  Darnell’s eyes widened, everyone’s attention became riveted upon Cade. “What do you mean they’re not dead?” Darnell asked quietly.

  Cade looked away from me as Bishop pulled the vile free and quickly replaced it with another one. I remained silent, unwilling to speak. Those words were the most that Cade had said about anything he’d experienced, or anything he knew. I feared that if I spoke he wouldn’t say anything more, that he would withdraw, leaving us with only those cryptic words and no explanation. I waited breathlessly instead, hoping to learn at least a little something of what he had been through.

  “They aren’t dead. They’re trapped in a cryogenic-like state, just waiting to be awakened.”

  “How do we awaken them?” Bishop demanded.

  “We don’t. Those other things do. There’s something in them, or they do something that causes the people to awaken again.”

  My bones quaked, literally rattled, as I vividly recalled the pain those things could inflict. If it was possible, I was certain they could wake the dead with that pain. “No matter how much time has passed?” I croaked out.