Hunted (Dark Secrets Book 1) (25 page)

But a second later Theron pulled away. "We have to stop. I shouldn't be kissing you and breathing all over you like this." His breath was heavy and his gorgeous violet eyes were dark with emotion.

"What are you talking about? I started it," I reminded him.

"We are trying to strengthen your immune system
—not drown it in my… alien germs!" He was serious and looked frustrated with himself.

I couldn't help but laugh, "
Alien germs?"

"Yes, alien germs. And don't laugh, it's not funny." He sat up, but his expression softened.

I sat up next to him and threaded my arms around him. "I don't care."

"We'll both care if you get sick," he retorted.

"I didn't get sick on Earth," I protested.

"But we're not on Earth."

"But I feel great!"

"Go to sleep," he said with a half-smile as he got up and puttered around with his pack.

"Fine," I said and threw myself back—too hard. I forgot the ground was stone. In a whiny voice I muttered, "Ouch!"

I heard him chuckle.

~

The next day Theron woke up before I did. He made breakfast for us
—my first day with fully solid foods!

"Breakfast," Theron said and handed me a tin plate of scrambled eggs (or something resembling eggs), a piece of meat that could have been hamburger and hash browns. They were good.

I recalled how Theron had said he had never tasted
real
food before. "Where did you get this stuff?"

"I raided the officer's kitchen. Of course they're only rations, but they taste pretty good. Our training facilities are too far away from civilian stores. It was the best I could do. I certainly wasn't going to have you eating the crap they fed me," he said with a disgusted look on his face.

When we finished up Theron suggested, "Let's go outside."

I was all for it. I washed up and changed into fresh clothes.

"You'll want your jacket. It could be pretty cold when we get out of here."

"What season is it?" I asked.

"Fall—but getting closer to winter. We had snow the night we came here."

I remembered. I threw on my hooded sweatshirt and tied my black, quilted winter jacket around my waist. We took the two mile walk with ease. I felt strong and invigorated. The food and rest must have been doing the trick.

Pure white light shot down in rays of sunbeams, illuminating the mouth of the cave.

"Just remember
—everything is upside down from your world—different plants and animals, different colors. And we can't venture far from the mountain."

"Why not?" I asked.

"In case there's some rogue, brave sentry willing to come closer to the catacomb's edge," Theron said cryptically.

"I don't get it," I admitted.

Theron explained, "Over two thousand years ago there was a horrible war between the planets that went on for many years—much like your world wars. Millions and millions of our kind perished because of weapons that were supposed to keep the peace. Diseases spread, food was scarce, many children were orphaned—violence became rampant as we turned against each other. Alpheus Novia changed it all. He turned the public thought from destroying ourselves to a harmonious co-existence the worlds had never known before. History teaches us that he was the greatest man who ever lived. His words were alive with energy. He ended the Time of Obliteration and ushered in the Great Peace. He held a mirror to the truth and the people were disgusted with what they had become and allowed to happen. All the worlds worked together to clean and fix the mess they had made—aggressive solutions for fighting, hunger, pollution, poverty and disease were vigorously committed to. The only thing they could never change were the numbers of their kind that had been exterminated." Theron shook his head sadly. "The dead from every planet were placed on massive transports and brought here to Cathal, which had the smallest population of all the worlds. A mass burial ground and memorial was erected—it was called The Tomb of Remorse. Soon afterward, people were afraid to come to the site. Superstitious beliefs took root and everyone believed the tomb was haunted because, although the rest of the worlds had peace and prosperity, Cathal never did. Tales were told that the catacombs were haunted. Still today, most people firmly believe that the dead are angry because they didn't live to experience the joy Novia brought in. They believe that anyone who comes near Cathal will be cursed as the planet itself is cursed, with continued destruction and unrest, because the spirits of those buried in the mass grave stir up strife and hate. The tomb is at the base of this mountain," he finished.

"Why aren't you afraid?" I asked.

"I visited this place when I was a kid. There was nothing the dead could take away from me that the living hadn't already taken," Theron said. "And anyway—I would like to think that maybe the dead care about peace and have found a better place for themselves."

"You're very poetic," I mused with intensity.

"Me?" he said in disbelief.

"Yes
—you." I came closer and kissed him on his cheek.

He smiled. "Are you ready to go outside?"

"Oh yeah," I answered.

We stepped out of the cave and marveled.

"It's beautiful beyond words." I was stunned. The sky was infused with bright, clear light, creating different shades of purple (from the fairest of lilac to the deepest amethyst) that stretched across the expanse over our heads. From my vantage point I could count five other planets. They were swirled with white, violet and gold—elegant and bejeweled orbs. Theron pointed out two of the moons shimmering platinum against a backdrop of dark purple. On the ground, the tree trunks and branches were a rich, smooth burgundy with undertones of crimson—exactly as I had seen before. The gold metallic leaves on the trees and the tall grasses glinted and played luminously in the rays of sun and the whispers of the wind.

"It's magnificent."

"That's how I felt when I first saw your world with its blue sky and green everything," he said smiling.

I smiled back and for a moment I forgot there was a psychopathic monster out for my blood. "Can we climb out into it?" I asked.

Theron took my hand. "Let's go." He led the way down the rocky crag and into the forest below.

It smelled fresh, like new rain and damp earth. The birds calling out to one another sounded ethereal. I stood beneath a massive tree and reached out cautiously to touch a golden leaf. I was afraid it would disintegrate. The leaves seemed delicate but, when the wind clapped them together, proved hearty. "Do they change colors or fall off?"

"Nope. They're always the same. And they're gorgeous when the snow lays over them," Theron said.

I let my hand drift over the smooth and hard trunk. The tree's marble-like texture was nothing like the crisp peeling bark of Earth's trees. Each tree was its own amazing piece of art. "Do you cut them down like we do on Earth?"

"That species? No. But there are some others we do—their core is similar but not as solid. We have specialized tools for them."

The soil was black. Golden moss climbed and clung to white and orange-cream colored stones and rock. Little sections of snow dusted areas that hadn't been greeted by the sun's heat or light.

"Look over there," Theron said, pointing up into a nearby tree. Two small birds alighted on a branch. They were a soft shade of blue with dark blue beaks and feet and black eyes. Theron turned and smiled at me. He opened his mouth as if he were about to say something but thought better of it and quickly shut it.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he remarked, expressionless.

I might have let it go but there was an odd expression of surprise that registered in his eyes. "Then why did you look at me that way?"

"What way?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "The way you're looking at me right now. What's wrong? Do I have something on me?" I wiped my face with my hand and looked over my clothes.

"I was thinking about your dad," he said.

"
My dad?
" That was odd. "The only thing I could get out of my mother about him was that he died shortly after I was born." I shrugged and a gorgeous soft-green and gold butterfly flitted to the branch beside me. "Look, look!" I said with an urgent whisper.

"They're good luck," Theron said.

"Good, we need it."

"Yes, we do," he echoed. "Now that you know that interplanetary or dimensional travel is real," Theron began, "how would you feel if your father was from this universe?" He said it in a philosophical manner and very nonchalantly, but Theron didn't ask many hypothetical questions.

"Why?"

"I was just
… thinking."

"You promised
—no more hidden facts or half-truths." I could feel my face flushing. I was getting upset. This wasn't just him playing—there was no sign of humor in his expression whatsoever. I felt myself becoming nervous and edgy.

He nodded and slung his pack to the ground. He unzipped it and produced a small camp mirror (useful for signaling someone, starting a fire or seeing into an obscured area). He stood up and held it out to me.

"It's my new favorite color," he said. His new favorite color? He told me his favorite color was hazel, like my eyes. I gripped the mirror but he didn't let it go. "It's really very beautiful."

I frowned, even more confused and weirded out. "Are you going to give it to me? Or are we going to play tug-of-war?"

"Try not to freak out," he said.

I wrinkled up my face at him. My sarcastic brain couldn't think of anything smart to say. He let go. I faced the mirror.
What was his problem?
I gripped the mirror with both hands to steady it.

My eyes
…
I blinked hard twice. They were no longer hazel. My eyes were a vivid, riveting violet.

"
What did you do to me?"
I accused him.

Theron lifted his hands in surrender. "I didn't do anything."

My irises were now the same color as his. "Maybe it's because of the atmosphere," I reasoned.

"Or maybe it's because your father was from this world," Theron stated, more like an answer than a question.

I stared into the mirror. No way was I going to be able to wrap my head around this one. I could just imagine my mother blurting out,
'Oh, Freya, by the way, your father was from another universe.' Perfect.

I stumbled to the nearest tree and sat down hard against the cool trunk. "This is making more sense all the time while making absolutely no sense at all," I mused.

Theron sat down directly in front of me. We both sat cross-legged with our knees touching. "You're still who you are and who you've always been, right here." He placed his hand gently over my heart. I covered his hand with my own and took a deep breath. "You're still the incredible woman I love. You just have more of your puzzle solved."

There was that
love
word again, and I realized I hadn't said it back to him yet. But another thought crossed my mind. "If my father is that Darth Vader—Morag guy—I am going to… "

Theron laughed. "Doubt that. Not the way you described your mother's love for your father."

I breathed a sigh of relief then asked, "Still violet?"

He laughed lightly. "Still violet and stunning." He held my face in his strong hands and kissed me reassuringly.

"For a long time I've associated amethyst eyes with evil. Then you… now this," I said, motioning with my hands.

"It'll take time to get used to," he said calmly.

I nodded. "We should be getting back in. We have a lot to plan out."

I handed the mirror back to him, and he put it in the pack. He pulled out some water and had me drink. Then he helped me to my feet, and we made our way back through the natural tunnels into our cave.

"That was a lot of activity for you. I want you to lay down and rest—I'll build a fire and warm dinner," Theron said.

I lay on the blankets, folded my hands behind my head and stared up at the ceiling as I tried to change the direction of my thoughts. "You know, my mom only kept me in hiding. She never taught me how to confront my enemies. This is a new concept for me."

"I've been thinking about that," Theron began. "I should go back to the facility—alone—locate your mother and get her back here." He stared at me. I guess my expression said it all. "Look, you've been through too much already."

"She's my mother."

"And you're no good to her or me—or yourself—dead. This is a military installation with trained soldiers, Freya!"

"You are not leaving me out of this! This is my fight!"

"You're still recovering!"

"I'm fine. I feel better than ever."

"You're not trained!"

"Then you better get to work, Theron, 'cause there is
no way
I am letting you do this without help! No way!"

"If you feel so fine you can finish dinner. I'm going for water," he said and stormed off down a tunnel with our bottles. He was mad. I had never seen him like that.

He might have been right, but so was I. I had to do this. And I wasn't defenseless—not if we had a solid plan. I stirred the pot roast with vegetables.

He still hadn't come back after a half hour. I couldn't wait any longer and I ate my share of the food alone.

He finally came back about two hours later. He was moody. He set the water containers down and lay down on his side of the blankets without eating, facing away from me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"I'm scared. No, scratch that—I'm terrified. I don't want to lose you again."

"I have to do this. You know that," I said gently.

"Yeah, I know. I never really thought you'd let the idea fly, but I had to try."

"Theron, look at me, please."

He rolled over onto his side and stared up at me. I swallowed my own fright.

"I love you," I said.

"You—love me?"

I smiled. "Oh yeah," I said with conviction.

"Say it again."

I laughed a little. "I love you."

"I didn't hear you… what did you say?" He closed his eyes.

I smiled brightly. "I said
—I love you, Theron."

He sat up, suddenly serious again, and drew me into his arms. He held me tightly. "No one has ever said that to me before," he breathed into my ear.

I winced. I had never thought about that. Of course. Who would have ever said it to him? I squeezed him tighter. "Well, hang around—I'll say it more often."

He pulled me back and his smile was beautiful. "All right, let's do this." He stood up and went over to a bulging tarp on the far side of the room. "I raided the weapons compound."

"Cool," I said, but then wondered, "Couldn't you beseech the ambassadors from the other planets for help?"

"No. They leave Cathal to deal with its own problems. We are completely on our own."

"What's your strategy?"

"If we can make it into the facility and if we can find your mother, we can get ourselves to the transfiguration lab and take the Bifrost back to Earth," he said.

"I like it. How do we pull it off?"

"With these." His hand swept over the pile of military gear. "And some Cathal 101."

I walked over and looked at the small arsenal he had gathered. "All right Commander, I'm ready."

"First thing we need to do is let you get a good look at the facility. Let's sit by the fire," he said as he led me there. "I'll explain everything as we go."

Theron closed his eyes for a moment as if he were thinking hard then opened them and swept his arm in a high arc across the front of our bodies. In its wake were three-dimensional, holographic images—lighted data and pictures like you would see on a computer screen, but floating in mid-air like in some futuristic high tech movie.

"How did you do that?" I said, staring into the space before us. Digital words, pages, pictures and images flashed across our visage.

"It's not that big of a deal, really—Novians have just… "—he grappled for the right word—"progressed into having the ability to merge with technology. We can manipulate the air waves, to a certain extent, to access the informational sources transmitting throughout the atmosphere. We can work with what's floating around out there—sound waves, radio frequencies, broadcasts, satellites—things like that."

"That is
so
cool!" I marveled.

He thought about it, "It's a lot like turning on a radio or computer. This is a visual of our universe." The screen before us lit into a swirling mass of colorful planetary spheres, half shadowed and half illuminated as they faced their suns. Each was bathed in pure light
—shimmering gold and swimming in liquid violet. Glowing stars dotted the landscape.

I smiled softly at him. Our eyes met and I felt a buzz of electric current pass between us. The images flickered a bit as he leaned in a little toward me. "We need to keep on task," he reminded me.

"This is Cathal in live-action. Brace yourself." He waved his hand and the picture before me suddenly looked like a horrible BBC news broadcast of war-torn countries, where the buildings were reduced to death traps and rubble. Most streets were void of people, while others brewed with angry groups shooting at one another with automatic weapons. There were soldiers of all ages; from very little seven-year-olds to old men and women. Girls and boys. Any one of them could have been Piper. I didn't want to believe it was real and actually happening. How easy it would have been to dupe myself into pretending it was nothing but a staged movie. Hand grenades were thrown into the streets. A mob doused a vehicle in chemicals, lit it and rolled the flaming missile into an enemy camp while small children and toddlers crouched behind concrete barriers. I began watching through squinted eyes. Families hid in terror, tucked away in decrepit abandoned buildings, and orphans huddled alone in ruins that passed for a neighborhood. They wore tattered rags and scavenged through the trash to find something to eat.

"The other side of the city," Theron said, interrupting the nightmare. A small metropolis held gleaming silver, white and gold skyscrapers, reaching into the purple sky. Ornate mansions made from what looked like the smooth petrified wood were marbled in luxurious hues, glistening in the sunlight. Smartly dressed people in business suits and designer clothes scurried about the busy city streets. It could have been any American city. Families were walking together; a son and father were holding hands. It was very sobering. How was it possible that such misery could cohabit with such wealth?