by Y. L. Stokes
“I’ll be with Dorian in the van and while Ben is inside the restaurant we’ll put a tracker on his vehicle even though we know where he’s going, we don’t want to leave anything to chance. The tracker is equipped with a microphone so we will be able to listen in on what is said while you are inside the car. We will follow Ben and Cerita from the restaurant to the hiding place, where I will have guys surrounding the place. Luckily the place the prick picked is surrounded by woods and is on a dead end road. We will break off the tail once they turn down the road leading to his hiding place. My guys are to signal me once they do so that Dorian and I can park and wait for the old man.”
“What’s to prevent the old man from getting there ahead of time?” Clarissa asked.
“We aren’t going to unlock the information planted in his keeper’s mind until they leave the restaurant.” Cedrick answered.
“What about Warren?” Glenda asked.
“That is where it gets tricky, thanks to my little cousin we know he planned on making his move the day prior to the date that he picked up from Ben, therefore we are going to hopefully get a jump on him. Cedrick has guys watching him also and lucky for us again, his ass is so arrogant that he is planning on doing the abducting himself. I made a visit to the jerk last night and did a little rummaging through that thing he calls his brain and was able to find out his plan is along the same line as Ben. The only difference is he plans on taking her to his home where he has an underground chamber that only he knows where the opening to the secret chamber is…well he was the only one, now I know as well.”
They finished going over the plans for the following day and quickly left giving Dorian and Cerita time alone as everyone knew they needed it.
“Are you going to be okay with everything baby?” Cerita asked once they were alone with her hand rubbing gently up and down his back trying to ease him even only just a little.
“No sweetheart and I won’t be okay until this shit is all over. I want you to promise me that you won’t try to do anything that will put you in jeopardy, I couldn’t stand it if something were to happen to you.”
Cerita responded to the anguish and worry in his voice, “I promise my love that I won’t and I want the same promise from you. I want your promise that you will not put yourself in harm’s way. You are my life, my everything, and if I lost you there would be no reason for me to remain here on this earth.”
Dorian gave her the promise before flashing them to their chamber where he made exquisitely sweet love to her.
Chapter Seventeen
Ben made a quick sweep of the one story building that his father owned and had left abandoned for so many years. While he’d been working on doing the old cripples deeds, he’d been using his spare time to come here and make the place habitable. He checked his watch noticing he only had ten minutes to arrive at the restaurant before Cerita did that way he could order their drinks before she arrived. That would give the drug time to blend in with her tea.
Warren was just about to leave when his office phone rang, thinking it was important he detoured by his office. His hand began to sweat when he saw it was Dorian’s name listed on his caller id. He quickly debated on not answering it, but didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention.
“Yeah Dorian, what can I help you with?”
Cedrick instructed Dorian to call Warren and request a meeting, just to test the waters to make sure that the arrogant ass was still set on his plan. “I was wondering if you and I could meet, I think we need to clear the air.” Dorian opened all of his senses and easily read the bastard’s thoughts and it took everything that he had in him not to let his anger show.
“There is nothing we need to talk about, I’ve moved on with my life and it is time you did the same. You have your mate and I’m sure the two of you have bonded so I think it would be best if you focused your attention on her.” Warren quickly ended the call, but not before Dorian was able to get the information that they needed.
“He plans to go to the house while I’m at the office hoping to catch Cerita alone where he plans to subdue her and take her back to his place.” He stated slamming his phone shut.
“Try not to worry so, bro we’ve just confirmed that things are going as planned. We have a little surprise waiting on his ass when he goes to the mansion to pick up Cerita.”
Cerita walked into Nelson’s, and immediately picked up on Ben’s nervous and excited energy. She made her way to where he sat and she knew he’d picked the secluded table so no one would see him slip the drug into her drink. With a thought she emptied the vial that he had for the injection and replaced it with pure saline just in case. “Hi Ben, sorry that I’m late, I hope you weren’t waiting too long.” she said upon reaching his table.
Ben stood trying desperately to keep his excitement under wraps. “I haven’t been, just long enough to order drinks. I ordered you sweet tea I hope that’s all right.”
Cerita nodded and took a seat and picked up her glass of tea. She didn’t miss the gleam in his eyes as he watched her drinking the tainted brew. “So you said that you wanted to congratulate me on my upcoming nuptials, but I think it’s a little more than that.”
“I just wanted to make sure that you’re certain about this step you are making. I had hoped that I would be the man you would marry, but instead you are marrying this guy that what, showed up one day and made a pass at you. I have to wonder how much you actually know about this guy.”
Cerita felt the power flowing through her from her parents, Dorian’s and Anthony’s parents, which gave her the boost she needed to slip into Ben’s mind unnoticed. The man was counting down the time for the drug to take affect and within seconds she was hit with a wave of dizziness.
“Are you feeling okay?” Ben asked hoping the excitement that was boiling within him didn’t come across in his voice.
“All of a sudden I feel really dizzy, I need to get home.” She tried to rise, but her legs felt like they weren’t there.
“I don’t think that you are in any shape to drive yourself home, how about I give you a lift home.”
“I think you’re right, but I need to call Dorian to let him know.” Her voice slurred and his excitement spiked.
“I’ll call him for you.” He promised tossing a few bills on the table before he walked around the table and helped her out of the chair. He quickly steered her toward the rear of the restaurant where he knew there was a back door.
“Okay guys they are on the move and on their way out the back door.” Anthony warned everyone using the secret radio attached to his collar. “Okay little cuz it’s time to start pushing the drug out of your system, do it as fast as you can.” He instructed Cerita mentally. He quickly discarded his disguise and headed out to his vehicle and had just started it up when Ben pulled out of the back parking lot heading south toward his hiding place.
Cedrick and Dorian pulled out into the flow of traffic careful to keep their distance, but never losing sight of Ben’s car.
Dorian sent additional power to Cerita to aid her in pushing the drug out of her body.
“Are you feeling better love?”
“Yes thank you I’m much better, everything is clear and the dizziness has passed, so I’ll have to fake it the rest of the way.” She sent him love and warmth before she focused her attention on pretending to have passed out.
Anthony made it to the hiding place a good ten minutes before Ben parked in the detached garage. He waited with Cedrick’s men and watched from the woods as Ben practically carried Cerita into the house. Pressing a button, he activated the cameras they’d installed just as soon as the prick had left to meet Cerita. “Are you guys getting the feed?” he asked Dorian.
“Yes, it’s coming through crystal clear but I just wish we also had sound.”
“You do, Cerita slipped the tracker from the car into her pocket,” Anthony informed them.
Cerita slowly opened her eyes when she felt herself being placed on a hard musty surface, “Wh
ere are we Ben, did you call Dorian?” She asked still keeping her voice slurred.
“Don’t worry Cerita I’ve brought you to a place where no one can find you, not even that crippled old bastard father of mine. He thought he could keep telling me what to do just so he could get his hands on you so you could heal him and make him strong again. He was a damn old fool if he thought I would just sit back and let him become whole again where he would keep me under his thumb.” Ben let out a mirthless laugh, “Oh I can’t wait to see his face when I use your power to finish what your mother started all those years ago.”
Cerita pushed herself up into a sitting position, “Wait I don’t understand what you are talking about Ben. What does your father have to do with me and my mother?”
“That’s right baby, keep him talking.” Dorian praised as he and Cedrick made their way to the side of the hiding place where they waited for the old man to show up. They all listened through the small microphone inside Cerita’s pocket as the bastard recounted the story about how her mother had paralyzed his father.
Ben paced as he pulled out the vial while he talked, it was time to give her another dose of the drug. “I’m glad I got to you before you married that white boy and I’m not happy you let that bastard fuck what belongs to me, but all that is under the bridge especially after you help me take the old man out.”
“Ben this is crazy, Dorian is not going to let me go.” she said interjecting the right amount of fear.
“Dorian won’t have a choice because he is never going to find you. This place is in my father’s name and no one knows who my father is. Hell I didn’t know about the bastard until he contacted me after your mother had paralyzed his ass.”
“What do you think I can do to help you kill your father?”
“Oh, don’t play with me, I know all about your powers and I’m going to use them to the fullest extent with or without your cooperation.” He chuckled when Cerita flinched from the prick of the needle. “With this little drug here I’ll be able make you do anything that I want.”
Chapter Eighteen
Eustis stared at his body guard as if he’d lost his mind as he couldn’t believe what the man had just told him. “Are you telling me that you overheard my son planning to kidnap the girl and you have waited to tell me this just now?” Eustis yelled.
“I’m sorry sir, but I just remembered it. I can’t even remember when I overheard it.”
Eustis cut him off, “It doesn’t matter when it happened, we need to get to that old house as soon as possible. I will not allow that sorry bastard to spoil my plans.” They got into his van and on the road headed for the property he purchased twenty years ago. When they arrived Eustis hit the button releasing his ramp and prepared to exit the van. Just as they reached the front door, an immortal appeared before him.
“What the hell?” Dorian and Cedrick asked at the same time when the immortal appeared from out of nowhere halting Eustis. Luckily they were on the side of the house where the windows were all boarded up. Dorian and Cedrick rushed forward to find out what was going on.
“Hello Eustis, I see that your incapacitation has taught you nothing.”
Eustis snarled up at the immortal his father had considered a friend, but this same immortal had watched his father die without lifting a finger to help.
“That is where you are wrong, your father is alive and well and because of him I allowed you to live for what you tried to do to him, but now I see that allowing you to live was a mistake.” With a wave of his hand, Eustis slumped in his wheelchair and the keeper bowed low before the immortal.
“Care to tell us what is going on?” Before Cedrick received an answer, the front door opened and Cerita came out.
Dorian immediately took her into his arms holding her tightly against him. “Baby where is Ben?”
“I don’t know one minute he was talking and the next thing I knew he slumped to the floor.”
Everyone turned to the immortal standing before Eustis.
“I know you all want answers but right now the second threat to your mate has just picked up your decoy. I think we need to get to that secret chamber to make sure that no harm comes to her. I can assure you that I will fill you all in once this operation is complete.”
“How do we know that you won’t just disappear and we never see or hear from you again and nothing gets done about this threat to my mate?” Dorian demanded not giving a rat’s ass for the decoy.
“Because I plan on going with you.” The stranger replied and with a wave of his hand a portal opened and several people walked through lifted Eustis from his wheelchair heading back into the portal while others walked into the house only to return carrying Ben out and through the portal. “Now you may not give a rats ass for the decoy, but I do considering she is one of my people, and with the urgency needed here I think it would be best if we used my mode of transportation.”
They all blinked and found themselves standing inside the chamber beneath Warren’s house. “They are about twenty minutes away so I suggest we all cloak ourselves so we don’t tip him off that we are down here.”
“While we wait why don’t you tell us who you are?” Cedrick suggested.
“My name is Harland Gustov and I am head of a secret society of immortals that govern those rogue immortals or those mortals that try and use immortals for their own personal gains. We’ve been watching Eustis every since he tried to kill his father, who just happens to be my best friend. We were in the process of taking him away when I heard about what he’d done to his father and I immediately went to Eric’s side to heal him. In the meantime, Eustis tried to take your mother,” he nodded to Cerita and Cedrick, “but because your mother is the powerful witch that she is, she handled things perfectly. In truth she didn’t do as much damage as she thought. We made the decision to confine him to a wheelchair hoping that he would learn from his mistake and leave others alone.
“Instead he found his discarded son and gave him just enough information to pick up where he left off. We located the immortal that gifted him with the ability to control his son and that person has been taken out of the equation and can no longer gift powers again.” They all quieted when they heard the front door open and close.
Chapter Nineteen
Warren carried his bundle inside the house being sure to lock the door behind him. He made his way into the office where he lifted the brass lamp, which opened the secret door leading down to his secret chamber. He placed his prize on the huge king sized bed before he removed the blanket that he’d covered her with. He was just a little worried, because she hadn’t moved since he’d taken her, and he hoped that he hadn’t hit her too hard. He let out a huge sigh when he heard her moan.
“Wake up my little prize I need you to be fully awake before we start playing our little games.” His smile froze when he removed the blanket and realized that he didn’t have Dorian’s mate as he’d thought, but he could have sworn it had been Cerita who answered the door. The woman on the bed smiled and with a blink she became Cerita. “What in the hell is going on?” He demanded gripping her arms.
“Man it is just amazing at what a sick and perverted bastard you’ve become.” Warren whirled around and came face to face with Dorian and standing beside him was his beautiful mate.
“How in the fuck did you get in here?” he demanded. He watched stunned as Harland Gustov stepped up beside them. “Oh so you brought them here, I should have known you wouldn’t keep your nose out of my business.”
“Your mother asked that I keep an eye on you and keep you from doing something incredibly stupid.”
“Like you give a damn about me,” Warren snapped.
“Damn right, but I happen to love my sister who unfortunately happens to be your mother. Now you will have to deal with me since your mother is no longer in the picture. This is something that should have happened a long time ago when you tried to force that woman to bond with you all because she wanted Dorian, not because you loved her for y
ourself, but because you wanted to take something away from him, who has done nothing but tried to be a friend to you. It’s time to go.”
“Go where? I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“My God, you sound like a petulant child and I can only blame my sister for the way she coddled you and all you’ve done is sat back and waited for an opportunity to strike out against Dorian, all because some woman tried to use you to get to him. Dorian isn’t the one you should be pissed at, it’s the little slut that used her body to entice you from using the common sense that God gave you.”
“Mother will not allow you to do anything to me.”
“Your mother no longer has a say in the matter. The powers that be have decided you are too much of a loose cannon and a threat to yourself and other immortals so you are to be removed until it is determined that you are no longer a threat.”
Warren eyes widened, at the implications of his uncles words. He tried to flash himself out of the chamber, but couldn’t.
“You may as well give it up, you’ve been stripped of the powers you had, luckily because you are my nephew, you are still an immortal, but you no longer have the gifts to go along with it.”
Before he could make a sound, Warren was flashed out of the room.
“Where is he?” Dorian asked.
“He’s been taken to an undisclosed location where he will live with other immortals that have been stripped of their powers and until it is determined they are ready to reenter society with mortals and immortals then they will be brought back.”
“Will he ever be able to regain his powers?” Cerita asked.
“No, once an immortals power is stripped, they can never recover them and they can’t be gifted with them either.” Harland informed them.
“I think we’d better get to the mansion, I’m sure everyone is there wondering how everything went.” Cedrick suggested.
