Stolen Desire (Outlawed Realm) (24 page)

Too late.

Water already filled the chamber, locking it. Just before the liquid reached Eeete’s mouth and nose, her facemask slid down. The entrance whooshed open, sweeping her and the guard outside.

Stunned, Paige watched as the guard held tightly to Eeete. Behind her facemask, the young woman’s mouth moved as she shouted Zekin’s name repeatedly, and finally she called for Paige, her expression terrified, then pleading. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She reached out, fingers grasping, futilely trying to reach them.

“
Noooo,
”
Paige cried, hammering on the wall.

Vigorously, the guard beat his thick legs as he fought the current to swim them away from the pod.

“Stand back,” Zekin said. He was already dressed in a silvery-blue suit.

“I’m going with you.” Before he could argue, Paige took a square of the material and stepped on it. The fabric skittered up her body. “The water’s drained away. The door should open now.”

He lifted his hand to the panel but didn’t press his fingertips to it. Paige looked where he had, and a scream caught in her throat.

A monstrous white creature, similar to the one that had broken through the frozen lake, impaled the guard with its horn. He writhed uncontrollably, his blood staining the sea, his grip on Eeete loosened.

She spun in the water, her body buffeted from the waves created by the monster. It whipped its massive head back and forth until the guard slipped off its horn. Before he could drift too far away, the thing bit into him, leaving only his head free, his eyes still widened in terror.

The airlock whooshed as Zekin opened the door and ran inside the pod that would take him into the sea. Paige followed, speaking before he did. “I’m coming with— What’s that? What’s happening?”

The water surrounding the guard’s severed head formed a whirlpool, pulling it inside. Eeete tried to swim away, but couldn’t. Within seconds, she was sucked inside too, her mouth open on a scream, her eyes on Zekin.

And then she was gone. The whirlpool stopped. The water stilled.

Paige fell to her knees. Zekin followed, pulling her into him.

She couldn’t stop shivering. Sorrow surged beneath her shock, pushing it aside, leaving nothing except a grinding ache. “No,” she whispered, barely able to speak. “Eeete can’t be gone. She never had a chance to live. To be happy.” Paige tried to stand. Zekin kept her from doing so.

“We have to find her,” she cried, “see where the whirlpool took her, bring her back—”

“It wasn’t a whirlpool. It was a portal.”

How was that possible? Unless… Using both hands, she pushed away from him but didn’t see the device.

“I left it over there,” he said, gesturing to the counter. “I didn’t open the portal, not even accidentally. Nor did the guard. It happened spontaneously, just as Bruda told you when you first came here.”

“It never happened with us when we were out there.”

“We weren’t dead.”

Paige stared at him. Dizziness and nausea washed over her. “It took them to E3?”

Zekin nodded.

“No,” she cried. “I don’t believe it. The guard died, but Eeete was alive.”

He didn’t comment.

Paige sagged against him. “She was. I saw her saying your name.”

Zekin rubbed her back.

His silence was worse than him lying to her, promising everything would be okay. Had he seen something she hadn’t? Had she only imagined Eeete mouthing his name? Had he known all along she was dead?

Paige trembled from her gasping sobs, tears she couldn’t stop. Ever since her mother had abandoned her and Paige’s father had died, she’d wanted a child to love. In so many ways, Eeete had fulfilled that desire, as though she weren’t a pleasure slave but Paige’s kid sister. “Eeete had so little,” she whispered. “She’d been hurt so…” Unable to continue, Paige shook her head.

“She had your concern,” Zekin murmured. “She had a few months in the colony to know what freedom was like.”

“It’s not enough. Damn it, she deserved more.” Paige’s grief turned to outrage, her body bristling with fury that felt good, needed, right. “I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. I’m going to fight beside you here. Help you rescue others. You can’t stop me.”

Gently, he caressed her.

“I can’t live without you,” Paige murmured. “I won’t.”
Please don’t make me.

Rather than arguing or reasoning with her as Paige had expected, Zekin kissed her temple. “Without you, I have no future. I want none.”

She hugged him as hard as she could. “Help me bring the others to E1 now so they’re safe. Then you and I will come back here and do whatever we have to in order to stop the guards.”

He didn’t comment.

“I’m not afraid,” Paige added, truthfully this time. The thought of losing him, the reality of never seeing Eeete again had changed something inside Paige. She finally understood Zekin’s unwavering honor, his intent to risk everything to save someone else.

He looked at her questioningly.

She cupped his face in her hands, then slanted her mouth over his, her kiss telling, filled with carnal hunger, passion, respect, the beginning of love.

They wouldn’t have an easy journey. However, Paige knew they’d take it together.

At length, Zekin eased his mouth from hers and gave her an unguarded smile. She hoped it would be the first of many.

With her hand in his, he led Paige back to the others to begin their transition to E1, freedom, a chance to breathe, to live.

Epilogue

Bruda and a small group of the pleasure slaves—those who’d been injured most in the attack—were the first to cross over into E1.

Kuma went to one male who had a deep gash in his arm.

“Hold it.” Paige put herself between the slave and Kuma, remembering what Zekin had said earlier.
A werewolf from E4.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Surely he wasn’t going to feed on the man.

The slave must have thought so. The poor guy looked like he wanted to bolt but appeared too terrified to move.

“Easy,” Gwen said to Paige, then spoke to the slave. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Her gentle assurances had zero effect. Clearly, he didn’t understand English. Sweat poured down the man’s face. He cringed at Kuma being so close.

Nikoli glanced up from the screen of the laptop he was using and said something in his and Zekin’s language. The slave regarded him but still didn’t look convinced.

“What’s going on?” Paige asked.

“Kuma’s only trying to heal him,” Gwen said.

Regina joined them. “When E4 was a penal colony, the scientists experimented on the prisoners. Kuma’s ancestors. They gave them the ability to heal.”

“And turned them into werewolves,” Gwen added.

Paige stepped back, not knowing what to think of all of this. How was any of it possible?

Nikoli kept speaking to the male slave, who finally shook his head. A huge act of insolence for someone who’d been trained to always obey. He clutched his bleeding arm, holding it close to his chest.

Kuma yanked open one of the kitchen drawers, selected a horrifyingly big knife and sliced his forearm.

“
Jeez-us,
” Paige cried. “What are you doing?”

Serene as could be, Gwen said, “Watch. He’s really something.”

Spoken like a woman in love. Gwen had that look about her as Kuma ran his fingertips over the gaping wound. It narrowed instantly. Healed. He showed it to the slave and said something in their language.

Shaking badly, the man finally held out his arm, which Kuma touched and cured. With that accomplished, he treated one of the female slaves, running his fingertips over the cuts on her calf. The other slaves huddled even closer to each other, their expressions betraying their surprise at Kuma’s ability, the strangeness of this realm and their mounting concern over what might happen next.

Only good.
A promise Paige intended to keep. “Did you know about this healing ability?” she asked Zekin.

“It’s part of the history for the elites.” He paused as though mulling his next words. “Again, the general populace knows nothing of this. Vakar’s ancestors had hoped to build a formidable army with Kuma’s kind. When they proved too difficult to manage, the scientists had orders to destroy them.”

Gwen muttered something beneath her breath.

“Clearly, they survived,” Regina said. “They live in E4’s jungle.”

“With the subhumans?” Paige asked, unable to imagine such a thing.

“We each have our own territory,” Kuma explained. “When they can, they feed on us and we do the same with them.”

Paige pressed her fingers to her mouth, afraid she was going to be sick.

Nikoli leaned back in his chair. “As soon as Kuma sees to the slaves’ injuries, I’ll open a portal. Lukan will be waiting on the other side for them.”

Bruda rubbed his forehead as though the sedative continued to affect him. “Lukan?”

“One of the escaped pleasure slaves.” Regina pulled out a chair so Bruda could sit. “He and Arez live in Arizona now. It’s another part of this country. They’ll be able to take care of you and the others.”

Paige dropped her hand. “How? There are dozens of these people. Probably a lot more to come if the guards keep bringing them to E5. We can’t chance them being seen by anyone over here.”

“They won’t,” Nikoli said. “Meelo—the scientist who created Lukan—has a multi-acre settlement in Arizona.”

“He bought it with his winnings,” Regina explained.

Paige couldn’t hide her surprise. “Winnings? Like from a lottery?”

“From poker,” Nikoli said. “Meelo’s very good at counting cards. So is Lukan.”

Regina smiled. “It’s child’s play to people as smart as they are.”

“I don’t understand any of this,” Paige said.

Gwen leaned close and murmured, “Don’t you worry, we’ll bring you up to speed.”

Paige nodded slowly, watching as Kuma healed the last of the slaves. Zekin spoke to each in turn, his manner calm, respectful, reassuring.

Paige guessed he was telling them what to expect.

Without delay, Nikoli opened a portal and sent them to Arizona, to Lukan, Meelo and the others.

“Can we check to make certain they arrived safely?” Paige asked Nikoli.

He returned to his computer, his expression intent as he watched the screen. Earlier, he’d contacted Meelo via Skype with the transmission still open.

Seconds passed. At last, he nodded. “All of them are there.”

“We should get the next group,” Paige said to Zekin.

“I’ll do it.” He rubbed her arm. “You stay here.”

“No. I want to go with you.” If he didn’t return…

“I’ll go with him,” Kuma offered.

Concern flashed across Gwen’s face.

“We’ll be back,” Kuma assured her.

“Is that true?” Paige asked Zekin.

He pulled her into his arms, his mouth to her ear. “Always,” he whispered.

She inhaled deeply of his familiar and beloved scent, memorizing the feel of his body, its warmth, his strength. He kissed her tenderly, then with passion, a promise of their days to come. On this realm or on E5.

“Don’t be long,” she murmured, her forehead against his.

“I won’t.”

He pecked her cheek, then entered the portal with Kuma as though they were two guys headed for the 7-Eleven to grab a couple of six packs. Within moments, they were gone, the gateway closed, the kitchen wall as it had always been.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Gwen said, sounding as if she were really trying to believe it. “They both know what they’re doing.”

Paige chewed her bottom lip.

“We’ll give them five minutes tops,” Gwen said, “and then we’ll go in after them. I’m not losing Kuma.”

The thought of never seeing Zekin again made Paige ill. She’d already lost Qatar and… She shook her head, unable to revisit that horrible moment.

Regina touched Paige’s arm. “What is it?”

She thought of the slaves who’d just passed through the portal on their journey home. A real home where they’d finally have everything Vakar had taken from them. An image of Eeete remained in Paige’s mind. The young woman’s fear, tears rolling down her cheeks. All hope lost. A new life so close, then gone in an instant.

Paige cleared her throat, finding it difficult to speak. “Eeete, one of the pleasure slaves, didn’t make it.”

“Was she hurt?” Regina asked. “Maybe it’s not as bad as you thought. Kuma may still be able to heal her.”

“No. It’s not that.” With her hand over her eyes, she told Regina and Gwen what had happened.

Regina rubbed Paige’s back. “I’m so sorry.”

“Wait a minute.” Gwen shook her head. “You’re saying that a portal sucked her into E3?”

Paige swallowed. “Zekin said it opened spontaneously because the guard was dead. I thought Eeete was still alive. But if the portal pulled them both in…”

“She could still be alive,” Gwen said.