Hill, Meagan - Master Me [Masterson] (Siren Publishing Classic)
Page 10
“Okay, baby. I need the same thing. I love you. Go wake up so I don’t leave you again.”
With a quick kiss, Mitch returned to his meditative state and then quickly to full awareness. He rose to his feet, still clutching Miranda’s hands as he waited for her to return. Miranda lay there still for several more minutes as the healers continued to work over her before she began to stir. She didn’t moan or even whimper, but he could see the tension enter in her body as she tried to absorb the pain. He could not miss that, as soon as she had regained consciousness, the stones circling the altar had blazed to life. They’d been right.
Malcolm hurriedly moved to the altar, anxious to conclude the ceremony so Miranda could be attended to more easily. He took up the knife that had been used to release Miranda from her branded oath, making a small slice on the backside of his forearm, next to eight other identical marks. He quickly mixed his blood with hers and said the words that concluded the ceremony. Miranda had responded in the proper places in the proper way, but her grip on Mitch’s hands was beginning to lessen, and her voice seemed weak.
Mitch’s concern for Miranda grew as the healers became more frenzied in their movements, and Miranda didn’t react to anything they did. Clearly, something wasn’t right. Finally, Nina raised her eyes to his. “Mitch, her bleeding isn’t stopping like it should. I think the wound is just too wide for the skin to properly close over. We may need to take a couple of strips of skin from another area to bridge the gap in these. I’m worried, though, that creating more wounds would just weaken her further.”
Mitch didn’t have to think about his response, it came immediately. “Take mine. Use it instead of taking more of hers.”
Nina considered the option for a split second before asking, “Are you sure? It will scar.”
“I don’t care. I wouldn’t care if you needed to completely skin me alive. Just do what you must to help her, Mom. I love her. I can’t lose her so soon, not after I just found her.”
Nina nodded before motioning to the men awaiting her instructions. They immediately ran to set up another table next to the altar, allowing the healers to work on the two of them simultaneously. “Where do you want me to take from?”
“Over my heart. She has it already. While you’re doing that, I’ll try to see if she’s in her sanctuary or if she’s fully unconscious.” At Nina’s nod, Mitch focused inward, closing his mind to what was happening around him. He was so worried about Miranda that it took several moments to achieve his meditative state, and he soon realized that Miranda was, in fact, not in her sanctuary. He returned to consciousness to find they had finished harvesting his flesh, and one of the healers was tending to his wounds while his mother worked on placing the donated strips on Miranda’s wounds. As hoped for, her flesh began to knit immediately, the sides growing together quickly in response to the strength of the healing magic being used. Mitch’s own wounds were already closing up too, not that he was concerned about it.
When he was allowed, Mitch rose from his table and returned to his place near her head, taking her hands in his. She immediately began to stir, awakened by the energy she and Mitch always shared when they touched. Mitch’s relief knew no bounds when she opened her eyes, searching for his immediately.
“What happened?”
“It worked, baby. Your allegiance ceremony is complete. The wounds on your back wouldn’t quit bleeding, though, so they took a couple of small strips from me. That worked, too, and your back is healing properly now.”
“It worked? I’m free of them?”
“Yes, Miranda, it worked. Try saying something bad about him.”
“Cabela is an evil man who should die. Yep, you’re right! I’m free!” Miranda wiggled in happiness, her smile as bright and wide as she’d ever done. Her eyes fell to the bandage covering Mitch’s chest, and her heart swelled with the knowledge this man had given a part of himself to her. She gazed lovingly into his eyes, saying, “Thank you, Mitch. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I love you.”
Mitch returned her expression, allowing all of his love for her to shine in his eyes. “You’re welcome, Miranda. I would do anything for you, baby. I love you.” Mitch leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
As soon as their lips met, there was an explosion of sound, rivaling the loudest thunder ever created. A fierce wind circled out from above the altar, knocking everyone on the dais off except Mitch and Miranda. They were lifted into the air until they hovered above the altar, Mitch holding Miranda against him in an attempt to protect her from whatever it was that seemed to be attacking them. Another thunderous clap echoed through the room. Before the last of the sound had trailed off, twin screams of pain were heard coming from both Mitch and Miranda. While one hand maintained its grip on the other, their free hands clawed at their throats, scratching deeply but unable to affect whatever was happening to them.
After a moment of the most intense pain either had ever felt, it slackened greatly. With the lessening of the pain, a bright ball of energy appeared between them, level with their chests. The wind continued to howl around them, and the stones circling the altar glowed with such strength the others had to shade their eyes from the brightness. The ball of energy grew, quickly encompassing both of their bodies. As the energy crackled around and through them, they again cried out in pain, their bodies convulsing, though they were able to keep a grasp on the other. The wind reached a fevered pitch, the sound of it loud enough to shatter glass. Simultaneously, the ball surrounding them flashed into a supernova of light. The light and sound maintained its apex for the space of two heartbeats before abruptly disappearing.
The silence after the monstrous crashes of sound was stunning. Mitch and Miranda, still stunned and trembling from the pain and energy flow they had just experienced, held each other tightly. They realized with a start they were still floating in the air.
“Um, Mitch, why are we still floating? Are you doing that?”
“Only Grand Masters and Mistresses can levitate, so it’s not one of my powers.”
“It is now,” answered a gravelly voice coming from the only person not stunned or frightened by the event. The Merlin rose from his chair, where he’d calmly sat and observed the explosion of power around him. “That was the most powerful mating I’ve ever seen. Both of you were powerful before your union, but you’ve now become exponentially more. Use it carefully, and use it well.” The Merlin turned to speak to Malcolm, who’d come to stand next to them. “You have my permission to eradicate the Cabela coven. You must destroy Cabela and his top people, or it will rise again and become even more evil. Blessed be, Malcolm.” There was a brief flash of light, and then the Merlin was gone.
Stunned eyes returned to the couple still floating above the altar. Mitch and Miranda were staring at each other in shock. “We’re mated? How did that happened? I thought it was strictly through sex?” Miranda asked, examining the ring of raised and darkened flesh circling Mitch’s neck, knowing that her own was identical. The design was intricate and beautiful. Seeing the continued confusion on Mitch’s face, she turned to Malcolm, searching for his answer.
“He gave you a part of himself through his skin donation, and it bonded with yours. It is essentially the same act during sexual union. At least I think that’s what happened. I’ve never seen or heard of it happening another way. Mitch, picture yourself and Mandy descending slowly to the ground. Landing is the hardest part and takes some practice.”
Mitch nodded his understanding as he mentally pushed aside his shock to focus on the task ahead. Going slowly so as not to frighten Miranda or cause a hard landing, he visualized them descending from their lofty perch. It took a moment before they began to move, finally landing gently on their feet in front of the altar. Mitch immediately pulled his cloak from his shoulders and moved to drape it around Miranda’s body before suddenly freezing in place.
Miranda, seeing his sudden stillness, asked, “Mitch, what’s wrong? What’s going on now?”
“It’s internal, too. Mandy, your body is completely free from the effects of your time with them,” Nina added, staring at Miranda intently. “Your aura has been completely cleansed as well. If I hadn’t seen its original state myself, I’d never believe that you went through what you did. It’s completely clear and shining brightly. There is no need for further rites,” Nina announced happily.
Miranda threw her arms around Mitch, hugging him to her tightly as tears streamed down her face. Mitch returned the hug emphatically, before pulling away enough to gently wipe the tears from Miranda’s face. “Happy tears?” Mitch asked. At Miranda’s nod, he pulled her back into his arms tightly, burying his face into her hair and placing soft kisses on her mated ring. “I love you, Miranda. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. I’m never letting you go.”
“Good, because I have no intention of going anywhere unless it’s with you.” Miranda began to say something else when Malcolm cleared his throat next to them.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your moment, but we need to do one more thing before we can retire for the evening, something I’m sure all of us would like to do. Mandy, I need you to tell us about the Cabela coven. Even though we already have the Merlin’s approval, I still want to document why we are going into battle with them.”
“Okay, I can do that. But first, I’d like to ask a favor, if I may?” Malcolm nodded, looking intrigued. “You’ve noticed Mitch calls me Miranda, I’m sure. I would like everyone to call me that from now on. I would like a new name to reflect the new life I have been given.”
Malcolm nodded his understanding before responding, “I’m sure we can do that, Miranda. Let’s get comfortable while we talk, shall we?” Malcolm suggested, gesturing to the waiting chairs that had been set up while Mitch and Miranda were wrapped up in each other.
Mitch sat in the chair next to his father, rightfully taking his place as second-in-command before pulling Miranda into his lap. Nina took her seat on Malcolm’s opposite side, and the rest of the coven took their chosen seats scattered about the room. Again, they were completely silent as they waited for Miranda to begin.
Settling comfortably into Mitch’s arms, Miranda considered where to begin before deciding to simply start at the beginning. “I was fourteen when I was drugged and kidnapped from my bedroom. I learned later the Searcher who found me was a substitute gym teacher who had subbed at my school several days earlier. I didn’t have her for a class, but she saw me changing in the locker room and spotted my ankh. I woke in an opulent room decorated with pornographic images. I was scared and still sick. I was chained to the bed, spread-eagle and nude. Cabela came in shortly after I’d awoken, explained what my situation was, including that he now owned me. He then proceeded to rape me. When he was done, he called in some other coven members who helped him move me to the place where he performed his rites. He branded me while chanting something in a language I still can’t place.
“I figured out pretty quickly what was going on. Despite that, I had a hard time obeying the people around me. I’ve always been strong-willed and mouthy, so I was often in trouble. Punishments included being whipped with wire, sometimes even barbed wire, being beaten, not being fed, being locked in a closet in the basement, you get the idea. We were never given any type of medical treatment. I was raped daily, not just by Cabela, but by the other male coven members. There were also times when Cabela had guests, and I was required to submit to their demands as well. Some of the other girls would put on a show for them sometimes, but I always chose to take the punishment rather than engage in that.
“I actually enjoyed my power training, though I suspect it was not as thorough as it should have been. Mitch and I will have to figure out what I’ve missed and fix that. I have always been a fast learner, and so I learned what they taught quickly. Toward the end, I was able to explore my powers further than what they had taught, and I was extremely careful to hide my advancement from them. I’d hoped one day it might give me the opportunity to escape. Several more latents were brought in after I was, each treated the same way. Two of them died from injuries sustained during beatings. One girl committed suicide.
“I somehow managed to hang on, despite my difficulty in learning the required submissiveness. I finished my power training, but the behavior training continued. I should have had just one more year after the power training, but my attitude didn’t help me there. I got very angry one day and slapped Cabela. That was the day he beat me so severely they had to take me to the hospital. I was bleeding from both ears from a severe concussion, several bones in my face had been visibly broken, including my jaw, both arms were dislocated, and several ribs were broken, causing me to vomit blood. Normally they would have just let me die, but Cabela enjoyed dominating me. He took me to the hospital, claiming I’d gone out the night before and had come home like that. I stayed for three days before Cabela was convinced I would live and forced me to leave against doctor’s orders. When we got home, he beat me again, but focused on my lower half.
“After that, I became Cabela’s personal slave for the duration of my training. As Mitch can tell you, I’d learned my lesson. The abuse was even worse now that I was constantly attending to him. After six months, he was convinced he’d successfully forced me into submission, and he was right. Last week, he announced I had graduated from my behavior training. I was then assigned to become a Searcher. I was given a list of places to check out, searching for another female latent, the younger the better. Mitch’s camp was on that list. I packed up everything I had, which wasn’t much at all. I knew I was about to break. If I did as I was commanded and took another girl from her family and brought her into the hell that was my world, my spirit would have permanently broken, and I would become just as evil as Cabela. Yet, I knew if I returned alone, I would probably be beaten to death. I knew I couldn’t just run away. I’ve seen it happen twice, and both times they tracked the person down and brutally killed them. I know what they did because they took pictures and tacked them to the hallway walls.
“I had just about decided to kill myself when I decided to go to one last place. I didn’t intend to actually scout for anyone but went through the motions to buy myself a few more days. That was yesterday. It seems like much longer than that, so much has happened since then.
“We don’t have a whole lot of time to prepare to confront them. If I don’t check in by tomorrow at noon, they’ll know something is up and will begin searching for me. Also, I wasn’t the only Searcher out this week. If Carl succeeds in finding someone, another person will become a victim.
“Cabela will not be easy to destroy. He is very powerful. From what little I’ve heard about his past, he was not a Master when he turned evil, though his power grows with each person he destroys. I have heard gossip that he is bound to the devil and that is where all of his power comes from. Right before I left, I learned he’s scheduled a rite for Saturday. All members are required to attend. That is why he wants a new female latent. He wanted to use her as a sexual sacrifice, though I’ve actually heard rumblings he’s considering a full virgin sacrifice. If we don’t bring him a latent this week, he may simply snatch a child off the streets for the sacrifice. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s taken a regular child for some type of rite and then just dumped them after he’s done.”
The entire room was silent after Miranda finished. She could sense shock, outrage, anger, sadness, and a few mo
re less intense emotions floating about the room. The strongest emotion by far, though, was determination.
Malcolm looked around the room, measuring each member’s expression. “It’s now Wednesday evening. I would prefer we attack when everyone is there so we don’t miss anyone. Unfortunately, that doesn’t give us a lot of time to prepare for a full-scale battle. Do you think we can pull it together and get there in time to prevent Cabela from taking another person victim?” Immediately, everyone in the room began nodding.
One member asked, “What about getting our sister covens to help? It sounds like the numbers are fairly even right now, and we’re going onto their home turf.”
Malcolm considered the question for a moment before answering, “Excellent point. I will speak with John and James when we conclude our discussion tonight. If they agree, I want the healers to stay in the background during the battle, though we will need them once the fighting is over. Anthony,” Malcolm turned to address his personal assistant, “I need you to make transportation and accommodation arrangements for the entire group. Try to get us there as early on Friday as possible. Assume that John and James’s groups are joining us. It’s easier to scale back than expand outward.” Anthony nodded his head in understanding, so Malcolm turned back to the group. “Anyone else have questions or comments?” At everyone’s negative response, the group broke up to go begin preparations for the battle to come.
Chapter 6
Mitch and Miranda were silent as they rode back to the house with his parents. Once there, Malcolm turned to them. “Miranda, I hate to say this, but we’re going to need you to be a part of the attack.” Mitch immediately began to protest before Malcolm cut him off. “I know, Mitch, I don’t want her there either, but she’s the only one who will know the layout of the house and who each person is. I’ve tried to think of other ways to do it, but it’s the only way I can come up with that ensures we get the right people without putting our own members in additional jeopardy.”