Darkest Ecstasy

by Tawny Taylor

  Most of the time it had been someone delivering a meal.

  Not this time.

  “You must be relieved,” Angela said as she sauntered into the room. “Talen has decided your life is worth something.”

  “I never doubted him.” Standing by the window, Michelle sent her captor some serious squinty-eyes. Michelle had never despised anyone like she did this woman. Since bringing Michelle here, she’d proven to be inhumanely cruel. Sadistic.

  “No, you wouldn’t doubt him.” Scowling, Angela brushed some nonexistent dirt off Michelle’s bed and sat, crossing her knee. “You believe in the good in people. Me, I learned a long time ago that people always think about themselves first.” She picked at her manicured fingernail. “As it turns out, Talen needs you. There’s no other reason why he’s coming for you. If he didn’t need you, he wouldn’t bother. He’d find another willing woman to carry his offspring.” Snarling, she spat, “Breeder. That’s what you are. His breed mare.”

  Michelle didn’t bother responding to that insult. There was no point. She’d learned that by now. Angela was just being cruel for cruelty’s sake. Giving her the benefit of a reaction only encouraged her.

  Michelle just hoped she could continue to stay strong. Angela’s words did sting, some more than others.

  “Anyway, your breakfast will be here in a few minutes. Wouldn’t want that little monster inside of you to die from lack of nutrition.”

  Monster. She’d called her baby a monster.

  Michelle placed her hand on her stomach.

  Angela leaned forward, one elbow on her knee. Her gaze jumped from Michelle’s stomach to her face. “You don’t know, do you?”

  Whatever it was, Michelle didn’t want to hear it.

  A tray slid through the small opening at the bottom of the door. Breakfast. Ignoring Angela’s taunt, Michelle picked up her tray and went to the tiny table bolted to the opposite wall.

  Angela followed her. The bitch. “Did you hear me, Michelle?”

  Michelle locked her gaze on her tray. If only she could swing it at that bitch’s face. If only. But what good would that do? She would still be locked in this room. Still be at the bitch’s mercy. Still be forced to sit around and wait for Talen to show up and be captured and killed.

  Her insides revolted. She wasn’t so hungry anymore.

  “You win. I’ve had enough,” Michelle muttered as she jerked around and scurried toward the window again. The view outside was blocked by a board. But a sliver of light cut between the outside wall and the ugly piece of wood. It was the only way she could tell what time of day it was. The light disappeared for hours when the sun went down and then it would reappear. As time crept by, the shaft’s angle would change. “Just leave me alone.”

  Angela sat at the table and sniffed at Michelle’s food, something that resembled eggs, along with some cold, stale toast and soggy fruit. “God, this slop is awful. You poor thing. Forced to eat something my dog wouldn’t touch. And having that... thing . . . inside you. It’s all those years of exposure. It’s messed up their DNA. I know you hear me.” Angela stood, swayed over to her. “You don’t want to ignore what I’m telling you.”

  “Why should I believe a word you say? All you’ve done is lie and terrorize me.”

  “Oh, I suppose you’re right. I have been a bit of a bitch. So sorry.” She made something of an attempt at appearing apologetic. “It’s working with all the assholes in this place. A girl has to be tough around here or she’s walked all over. If I hadn’t learned to be a bitch, I would still be sitting in that little fucking office, working that useless, meaningless, worthless job, collecting a measly paycheck and wondering when my life would turn around.”

  Michelle couldn’t help it. She snapped, “Is it worth it, Angela? Where’s the glory?”

  “Of course it’s going to be worth it. I didn’t lie to you when I said I crave stability. With this job, I’ll never need for anything.”

  “Then I’m glad for you.”

  “You’re so fucking sweet. Rather, that’s what you want me to think, don’t you?” Smiling, Angela shook her head and plucked up a strand of Michelle’s hair. Studying it, Angela ran her thumb over it. “The sweet-girl act doesn’t work with me, beautiful. But that’s beside the point. When we’re done with this whole thing, you should get to a doctor pronto. That thing you’re carrying isn’t normal.” Her gaze dropped to Michelle’s stomach again. “You will probably want to get an abortion.”

  An abortion. No. Never.

  “Thanks for the advice,” Michelle said, pushing past Angela. Trapped. She was so fucking trapped. Rage was pounding through her now. But she couldn’t let it out. Screaming, yelling, threatening, all encouraged Angela, made things worse. She had to remain silent. Quiet and calm.

  “You’re welcome. See? I’m not always a bitch,” Angela said to her back.

  Right.

  “Well, I suppose I should get back to work.” Hips swaying, Angela strolled to the door. She didn’t leave without adding, “You’re skeptical. I get it. But you won’t be for long. Wait until he gets here, your . . . whatever you want to call him. Fiancé. Baby’s father. Lover. You’ll see what I mean. Then nobody will have to drag you to the doctor. You’ll be so scared, you won’t be able to get that thing out of you soon enough.” She knocked, and the lock rattled. The door swung open. She stepped out and it closed with a resounding echo.

  And as that reverberating sound vibrated through Michelle’s body, she shuddered and silently prayed that the monster story was another lie.

  Nicky’s Family Diner. Quaint little place.

  The perfect place to meet the enemy.

  Talen pushed through the front door, and the bell over his head tinkled. A long counter stretched in front of him. Customers sat on every stool, consuming plates of burgers and fries and sandwiches. He checked all the patrons at the counter. No Angela. But probably several Chimera.

  Inhaling the scents of grilled beef and deep fried chicken, he looked left, at the booths spaced evenly along the front wall. No Angela in sight. A ponytailed waitress wearing a T-shirt that said “Eat at Nicky’s,” a pair of shorts, and a black apron scurried past him, scribbling on her order pad. Chimera? Probably not.

  He looked right.

  There. She was seated at the farthest table, her back to him.

  His senses alert, he loped down the narrow passageway to the booth and sat across from her.

  “Good afternoon.” Angela beamed. “It’s been too long. You look great. How have you been?”

  Humoring her, he said, “I’ve been better.”

  She pushed a basket of fries toward him. “Care for a French fry?”

  This fake friendly act was making him nauseous. “No thanks.”

  She poked a fry into her mouth, chewed. “Do you have it?”

  “Yes.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “This is almost too easy.”

  “Not to me.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “You have no idea how hard it was to get it away from my brothers. But I love Michelle. I don’t want to risk her life. She doesn’t deserve any of this.”

  Angela mirrored him, leaning closer. “Where is it? Do you have it with you?”

  “I hid it nearby, in a safe place,” he lied. “I want to see Michelle first.”

  Angela’s faux smile broadened. “Don’t trust me?”

  “No.”

  She ate another fry. “That’s unfortunate. Because you won’t see her until I have what I want.”

  Of course she wasn’t going to make this easy. He hadn’t expected her to, though he’d hoped she might be so blinded by greed that she’d make a mistake or two. He was going to have to think his way through this and move very carefully.

  She dug in her bag, sitting beside her on the bench, pulled her cell phone out, and placed it on the table, next to her basket of fries. “With just one phone call, Talen, I could either end Michelle’s life or set her free.”

  He pulled his phone
out of his pocket and set his in front of him. “And with one call, I could have The Secret destroyed.”

  Something flickered in Angela’s eyes. “You wouldn’t. Not after all of these years of protecting it. Decades. Generations.”

  Wouldn’t he like to?

  “I know all about the Black Gryffons,” Angela said, plucking another fry from the basket. “You fools. It’s all about honor and duty. But look what honor and duty has gotten you.”

  She wasn’t entirely wrong. In fact, he somewhat agreed with her. There were aspects of his life that sucked. Having to move all the time, always aware that they could be discovered at any moment, being pressured to marry and produce children who would end up shouldering the same burden.

  If he’d been the eldest, he probably would have destroyed that damn thing. At the first opportunity. He would have set his brothers free of this shitty obligation. But that call hadn’t been his to make. And he respected Drako enough to trust his judgment.

  Her brow slanted. “You don’t have it, do you?” She was calling his bluff.

  Dammit.

  The truth was, he didn’t have it, his brothers did. Not only didn’t he want to give it to her, he couldn’t. Once he’d severed ties with Drako, he’d lost all ability to contact him. He’d hoped he would be able to convince her to let him see Michelle on the promise of delivery.

  “I do. I have it,” he lied.

  “Then you’ll bring it to me.” She made a shooing motion. “I don’t know why you bothered to show up empty-handed. I should hold it against you. But I won’t.” She stood, circled the end of the table, and sat next to him. “There’s some real chemistry between us. That makes it a little challenging to be too tough on you.” She dragged an index finger up the center of his chest. It stopped just below the hollow of his throat and she moved closer, closer. “Don’t underestimate me, Talen. I wouldn’t think twice about killing that pathetic woman. She’s nothing to me. Absolutely nothing.” Laughing softly, she shifted back to study him. “Ah, don’t like my threat, do you? Do something about it. Bring me what I want.”

  Fuck, it was hard keeping his head straight. All he wanted to do was snap this bitch’s neck in two. “How do I know you have her?”

  “Really?” She laughed. The sound was hollow, her expression humorless. “You doubt me? Come. I’ll prove it to you.” She poked at her phone, then lifted it toward him. “Look familiar?”

  On the screen was a video of Michelle. She was lying on some kind of bed in a room with white-tiled walls. She was so still. Was she sleeping? Drugged?

  “Aw, isn’t that sweet. You look so worried,” Angela cooed. “Your little breeder is fine . . . for now. We’ve taken good care of her for you. Fed her well. Provided medical care. But my hospitality won’t be so convivial if you don’t cooperate.”

  His blood was ice. Pure hatred lanced through him like a dagger. This was the third time he’d had to deal with the Chimera. The first couple of times he’d realized they were evil. To the core. But Angela was by far the worst. “She could be anywhere, in another state, another country. How do I know you have her under your direct care nearby? The Chimera is a large organization.”

  “She’s nearby. You’ll just have to trust me on that. As far as whether I have her in my custody”—she made a call on speakerphone—“wake the woman. Have her face the camera.”

  Seconds later, he watched a man enter the white room and shake Michelle awake. He pointed at the camera, and she lifted her face to it.

  Angela made a second call. “Now tell her to speak, to plead with Talen to cooperate.”

  He watched as Michelle gritted her teeth and glared at the screen. She had some fight in her. He adored that. “I won’t beg. Screw that,” she snapped.

  Oh, how he adored her. His heart twisted.

  “How do I know you’ll release her if I give you The Secret?” he asked.

  Angela considered his question for a handful of seconds as she munched on another fry. “I suppose you don’t know that. But you can be assured that she will die if you don’t bring me what I want.”

  That he was willing to believe.

  He was in one hell of a spot. He didn’t know where Michelle was being kept. He didn’t have access to her. Nor did he have access to The Secret.

  His only hope lay in the fact that hardly anyone knew what The Secret actually looked like. He would need to find something that could pass for a very old relic. Where the hell would he find that?

  Angela stood, grabbed her purse. “Call me. I’ll give you two hours.”

  Two hours.

  One hundred twenty minutes.

  He had only two hours to find something that would pass for a five-thousand-year-old relic. No pressure there.

  30

  Twenty seconds.

  Fifteen.

  Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two.

  Time was up.

  Talen hoped this would work.

  Carrying the small wooden case he’d bought from a local antique mart, he stood at the prearranged meeting place, an empty, abandoned parking lot on the fringe of a small town. Inside the box was some little piece of rusty metal he’d gotten for a buck. The dealer had told him it was a part from an old steam-powered engine. He didn’t care, as long as Angela didn’t know what it was.

  All he needed was for it to fool her long enough to get to Michelle. That was all.

  As the dark car pulled up, he said a little prayer.

  The vehicle stopped. The door opened. Angela stepped out. Her gaze locked on the wood box in his hands. So far, so good.

  “What do you have there?” she asked, standing back slightly.

  “It’s the item you asked for.”

  “Set the box down.”

  He followed her direction.

  “Open it.”

  He unfastened the old latch and slowly lifted the lid.

  Still standing far back, by the car, she commanded, “Take it out.”

  He scooped out the old piece of junk and lifted it, as if it was the priceless relic his brothers and his father and uncles before them and countless generations before them, had committed a lifetime to protecting.

  Her brows furrowed. Her lips curled. “That’s it? That piece of rusty trash?” Without waiting for his response, she raised her phone and snapped a picture.

  “What did you expect?” he asked as he gingerly set it back in its box. “It’s a few millennia old.”

  “It looks like it’s steel. Was steel in use so long ago?” she asked as she poked at her phone.

  “Yes, of course it was. Maybe not worldwide, but the people who created it were advanced. That’s kind of the point. They created it. They knew how to use it safely. But humanity did not.”

  “Hmm.” She took a step closer, and another. Just as she was taking a third step, her phone chimed. She turned her attention back to the screen.

  “This is The Secret, the item my brothers and I have been protecting since our father died. Whether it’s steel or something else, I couldn’t say. We didn’t have it analyzed. For obvious rea- sons.”

  She laughed. Hard.

  He didn’t take that as a good sign.

  “A crankshaft,” Angela said as she strolled over to him.

  Oh shit.

  She took the fake relic in her hands and inspected it. “How fitting. It isn’t even that old.” Her expression condemning, she shook her head. “Really, did you take me for such a fool?” She let the piece of junk fall to the ground at their feet. It landed with a heavy thud.

  “No. I would never take you for a fool. It was a matter of necessity.” What the hell was he going to do now? What the hell? “The truth is, I can’t get what you want. My brothers have left town and have taken it with them, as they have been trained to do.”

  Her jaw clenched. “Of course they have. Contact them.”

  “It won’t do any good. They’ve already changed their phone numbers.”

  Her jaw clenched ti
ghter. “Try it. Now.”

  “Sure.” Putting his phone on speaker, he dialed the number he’d called only a few hours ago. An irritating tone played, followed by a familiar recording: “The phone number you have dialed is no longer in service—” He hit the button, ending the call.

  Her eyes narrowed to slits. “You intentionally misdialed.”

  “No, I didn’t. You can try it yourself.” Knowing there was nothing on his phone that could put his brothers at risk anymore, he handed it to her. He’d planned ahead, deleted everything but his brothers’ initials.

  Her squinty eyes narrowed even more. “Your brothers would not abandon you. They wouldn’t.”

  “They will if it maintains the safety of their families.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  He shrugged.

  After studying him for several moments, she poked the phone’s screen. “You’ve deleted their real phone numbers.”

  “No.”

  Her eyes were as cool and lifeless as steel. “Then I guess you’ve got a problem. Because if you don’t get The Secret here in the next twelve hours, your precious little Michelle will be dead. And so will that beast she’s carrying in her stomach.”

  Beast. Who was that woman calling a beast? Who was less than human? Who?

  Dammit, what the hell was he going to do now? He’d failed to protect Michelle and his child. Both Michelle and the child were innocent. Neither deserved this.

  I should have let her be. It’s because of my weakness that she’s going to die. My failing.

  He was left with only one option. But was there even a shred of humanity in that woman?

  Lifting his arms in surrender, he said, “There’s nothing I can do. Not in twelve hours. Not in twelve thousand. You have nothing to gain by killing her.”

  “That’s what you think.” Turning, she started back toward her car.

  His blood turned to ice. He had to do something. Anything. “Take me instead,” he yelled to Angela’s back. “Maybe if you take me into custody, my brothers will find out and come to my aid. It’s the only hope you have of luring them here.”

  Seeming skeptical, she considered his suggestion for a handful of heartbeats. “Well, fuck it.” Swinging her arm up, she struck him in the shoulder. Sharp pain shot through his body. His gaze snapped to the shoulder she’d hit, and he spied the needle, thrust deep into his flesh.