A Hidden Element (17 page)

Ben was dead.

She last remembered being dragged away by men in gray robes. Then she passed out. She awoke now after they shoved her into a narrow room and slammed the door. She stumbled and fell on her stomach on a lumpy mattress strewn on the floor. Pain shot through her and she hugged herself, rooted in deep loss. She cried for Ben. Her first love. And for Charlie and her unborn child. She had to be strong for them now. Adrian had one son. He would not get the other.
Please dear God, don't let my child be born in this place. Help us get home.

She pulled herself up by a chair, the only other thing in the room besides a dangling light bulb and window too narrow to squeeze through. A slit in the wall to tease her with. Like the bolt on the outside of the door. There was no escape from this room. She tottered to the window where sunlight flickered. It called to her with its gentle glow, painting her prison with warmth. The woods crept vast and deep before her. Woods like where she had met Ben the day he caught her singing in a tree.

She had to find a way to get Charlie and escape.

But he had killed his father.

She cried harder.

And with this chilling realization came the knowledge that there was nothing Charlie could do that she could not forgive, just as she had accepted Ben's failings before she met him. She accepted Charlie's now. It was not his fault. Her heart broke for her son.

The door opened.

Adrian loomed over her. Vile hate sprung inside her. She lunged for him but fell. He caught her. She twisted away. Agony seared her with his touch. His dream image flashed before her where he had been deep inside her, pleasuring her. She wanted to throw up. She backed up to the wall and leaned into it.

He smiled at her. His large features stretched wider across his monstrous face. His yellow eyes coveted her.

"Laura Fieldstone. I've waited so long for this. Your unborn child is mine. And Charlie is mine. He is on my side and will make a great Destroyer. I have been grooming him for years for this moment. You are all Madrocs now."

She shook her head. Hate froze her words. He moved closer to her and put his hands on her stomach. She closed her eyes. Sick images coiled in her brain of things he had done, enjoyed doing. And things he planned to do to her. Finally, she opened her eyes.

"Thank you for bringing my whip back." He pulled it from his robe's pocket and caressed her cheek with its straps. Its cool leather sent chills through her. She cringed, her muscles tightening as if they, too, wanted to shrink and disappear.

"We are both twins, Laura. We are each the more powerful half of a duo. We survived. Our twins did not. We are the strong ones. Together our power can rule."

His face was so close to hers. His breath pulsed hot on her cheek. She turned her face away looking for something to fight back with. The chair! She reached her mind out to fling it at him but all it did was wobble back and forth from her weak state. In a flash, he reached one hand out and grasped it. He steadied the chair and smiled at her.

"My dear Laura. You can't win against me. Your fate is here. I've seen into the future. You will breed with me. And soon we will go out into the human world and launch our communities there. The humans stand no chance against our powers. We will use them as needed and our genes will wipe out all humans on Earth and a new Elyon shall shine in its place."

"Never," Laura whispered.

"We are creating a new world here and you
will
be part of this."

"No."

"Then you will die."

She stared into his jaundiced eyes burning with a crazed passion. There had to be an escape from this monster. She had survived too much to not survive this. She would discover his weakness and kill him with no regrets.

This fact shocked her. She had been a forgiving person, one to find the redeeming qualities in all. Even her brother, who killed so many people she loved, had a tiny place in his heart where love could grow. Only that place was kept empty and starved for love his whole life by those who imprisoned him. Her acceptance and love of him in the end was not enough. He believed he was beyond redemption.

"You lied to me when we spoke from Elyon," she whispered. "I thought you were good. You said I was Elyon's only hope."

"And you are, my Laura. You will help me rule a new Elyon. Let me bring out your Destroyer gene. We'll be united and you will come to love who you truly are—a Destroyer."

He gripped her arms. His pod-like fingers pushed into her flesh, a precursor to what awaited her. He would soon be filling her with his hateful sex. She felt faint and moaned. He let go.

"You kill me and you kill my unborn child. If you want to make him yours then why kill him?"

He crossed his arms and laughed. Blue veins pulsed through his neck. "I wouldn't kill our child, Laura."

Her legs shook. She slid down the wall to the floor. Were all her dreams to become realized? If she did not accept his offer she would die, leaving her child here to be raised by a mad man. She closed her eyes to get away from his hideous face and plan, but he pulled her up and pressed her to the wall.

"Open your eyes, my Laura."

She did as he said and stared into her destiny. Why had she come here if not to save Charlie? Ben was dead. Loss overwhelmed her, but Adrian gave her no reprieve. His hardness pressed into her stomach. Nausea overcame her and she shrank into the wall. Her child let loose a fierce kick inside as if he knew that this was not the man who had fathered him.

Adrian laughed and felt her child. He pushed deep into her abdomen and she bit her lip. "He's feisty. My new son. A Madroc. Like Charlie. A Destroyer, too. I know it."

Laura looked up at him, helpless as he pinned her to the wall. "He's not your son." Her voice broke. "He's Ben's."

Adrian let her go and stepped back. His smile became a sneer. "Ben? You think Ben conceived this child? A useless human who had a vasectomy? I think not, Laura."

Goosebumps ran up Laura's arm. "What do you mean?"

"I'm your baby's father, Laura. I have been all along."

"Only in my dreams, you bastard."

"It wasn't a dream, Laura. I was there in the flesh. Many nights for months I came to you when your Ben was away on assignment or at a convention. I was there the night he slept in the guest bedroom. I mind bended you, made you think you lay in a dream state. But they weren't dreams. I plunged so deep inside you. Deeper than Ben ever was. You thought so yourself. I filled you up with my seed. It's our child."

She shook her head. Horror filled her at what might be true. "No." It came out not like a sound, but like a prayer.

"You moved beneath me with such wild abandon. You offered yourself to me fully. Such lust. I can't wait for us to be together again. In the flesh."

"No."

"Yes."

She looked out the window. This child was hers and Ben's. A child conceived in love, not hate.

"No. I would rather die," she said quietly. "I would rather my baby die."

"Your death can be arranged. Is this what you want?"

Hope fled fast inside her. She made sure to keep her mind closed to Adrian's probing powers. Her only hope was to go along with his plan. She needed to buy time. She needed an ally. She needed Ben.

"What do you want from me?" She turned back to the monster.

"I want you to breed with me, Laura. We're destined to do so. I'm carrying on my twin's legacy, as you can fulfill your twin's legacy. We survivors will live out their destinies. You're meant to be with me and lead our people into a new world. But humans cannot know of our presence or plan. If they do we'll be locked away, experimented on. Like your brother. Like your son will be. Do you want that for him?"

She shook her head.

"So, it's a simple answer." His muscles bulged and flexed in his neck, dominating and powerful as her brother had been. He, too, had once stood before her like this with her life on the line.

"You are a Destroyer inside, Laura. Give in to the hate." He held up his hands. "If you want to live, be what you are."

Long ago Felix had said those same words to her.
Find your powers again because the evil is coming. And he is coming for you next time. If you want to live, be what you are.

He had been right and now the same evil threatened her life and all she loved once again.
She stared into Adrian's vengeful yellow eyes, but no words came to her.

"I'll ask you one more time. Will you offer yourself to me?"

She had no choice. For now. And the words came to her. "Yes, I will."

He loosed a deep, guttural laugh. "And since you accept my invitation, I'll let you have one last special night as a reward. Lucky for you that you thwarted your son's own power. For now."

He banged on the door. It opened and a man was flung on the floor before her.

Ben.

And he was alive.

Laura clung to Ben. They held each other on the dank mattress after Adrian left. The light began to fade from the narrow window, but a tiny bit of hope still sparked inside Laura. Faith renewed itself inside her that they would find a way out of here. And then horror replaced it. She would have to tell Ben that Adrian's child grew inside her.
No, no.
She couldn't tell him now.

But she hadn't known Adrian had been inside her. It had been a dream. And she had kept her eyes shut each time thinking it was Ben, except once when she opened them—and saw the monster pleasuring her. He
had
been deep inside her. She
had
enjoyed it. How many times had she been with him? She wanted to be sick.

"Laura, did he hurt you? Did he…?"

"No," she whispered. He held her tighter and she felt him draw a deep breath. "I thought you were dead."

"Never. The bastard can't kill me."

"I tried to stop Charlie—"

"It was Adrian who brainwashed him. He made him do this. Our son is somewhere inside waiting to be found again."

"We have to find a way to get him back. If we can turn him away from Adrian he can help us bring Adrian down. I know it. I feel it. Adrian has placed all his hope on Charlie for his new world. He announced it to his people in their church."

Ben stretched out beside her on the sagging mattress and groaned. Bruises darkened on his face. Dried blood ran across his cheek. They had beaten him badly. Laura placed her hands on him and willed healing into his body. He stroked her hair as she practiced her power, but she was still impotent from the drugs.

"The drugs affected my abilities, Ben. I—I don't know if I can heal you all the way right now."

"Laura, my Laura. It's okay."

"How do you feel?" The bruises had faded somewhat on his face.

"Better."

The sun sank. The woods grew gray in the window above them. The lonely light bulb spilled garish light across them.

Ben put his hand on her face. "Tell me how we can save our family in this godforsaken place. This is what hell is. I know it. Those robed men took me to a room and beat me. They followed Adrian's orders like robots. The worst part was they did it all in silence. Like crazy cult members. But they didn't kill me. Why?"

She put her hand over is. "I don't know. Adrian might have plans for you." She had to buy them time. And she couldn't let Ben know all that had transpired between her and Adrian.

"He spoke to you. What did he say his plans for you are?"

"He wants me to help him lead his people to a new world. I let him think I'll be part of his community. Charlie is his new hope. Tomorrow I'll ask him to let me see Charlie, as a gesture of goodwill. I'll see if I can get inside our son's mind, turn him back to our side."

Ben looked at her. "Why did he put us together tonight?"

Laura moved into him and closed her eyes. "I don't know."

"He has another son. Did you see him in the church?"

He has another son coming soon too, Ben
. But she kept those thoughts hidden. "Yes, he called him Caleb. He said Caleb was training Charlie in Elyon ways. I saw him in my vision, too."

"Maybe this Caleb can be turned against Adrian. He didn't look too pleased Charlie was named leader."

"Tomorrow. We'll find a way to fix this tomorrow."

"Promise me, Laura, you won't let him touch you." He pulled her deeper into him. She felt his heart throbbing against her chest. "I'll kill him if he does."

"Never, Ben. Only you can touch me. You made this." She moved his hand across their child who waited to show himself.

But what if Ben learned Adrian had impregnated her? She had to keep a spark of hope that Ben's seed had found its way into her womb. But could she love her baby no matter whose son it was?

She placed Ben's hand on her breast. "Love me."

He looked at her, shocked. "Here? In this place?"

"Yes. I need you to make everything all right for one night."