I Kissed a Dog (30 page)

* * *

I trudged behind the repugnant, cloaked, bald man, David. We stopped at a square opening
in the floor. Stairs, steep as a ladder, started at the opening’s top, and disappeared
into darkness below.

Somehow, I knew I was dreaming, but this was much more than any ordinary dream. It
was a vision. Understanding how or why it was happening wasn’t important; I was along
for the journey.

“Follow me,” David said, before descending with an uncanny ease not customary for
a human being.

Clinging to a lone handrail, I followed him down the narrow steps carefully. Every
few seconds the building would shift, just enough to mess with my equilibrium. As
clumsy as I am, any rocking motion has a potentially negative side effect. Staying
upright was my current priority.

“Not a building, friend, this is a boat. A barge to be exact,” my companion explained
using his telepathic ability to communicate. He’d read my mind. In his case, I didn’t
mind the intrusion.

I reached the stair’s final level. It was then I realized where we were. A barge.
David had just stated we were in a barge.

Yes! That had to be it. I had a vague memory about a barge. I’d heard something before
this. At last I’d uncovered a major-connect-the-dots moment.

The mutant guard, Dante, had mentioned a barge right before he died.

Shivering, I pushed the image of his smoking chest from my mind, and turned my attention
solely to my guide, who was traveling down a corridor lined with medical equipment
and supplies.

We reached a double door with two glass windows. David floated up until he was level
with the windows.

“How did you … never mind.” What was a little levitating in my already crazy vision?

I peered through the opposite window into the medical facility beyond. I recognized
the location. I’d seen it before, in the mind of Martin’s dog.

Without a sound, David entered the room, his cloak ruffling as he brushed by. Not
sure what else to do, I followed him through the rows of beds. A number were empty,
but at least ten or more had patients strapped to them.

“Just watch, listen,” David instructed.

No one seemed the least bit aware of our presence. We were invisible; I hoped invincible
too. Without superpowers, I didn’t want to face the mutant sentries posted through
the room.

Inspecting a patient, Jasmine leaned closer. He was twisting and pulling at his restraints,
frantic to escape.

“He’s turning! After the last few, I was getting worried.” She applauded, her excitement
palpable.

“Didn’t I tell you not to worry?” Martin rested a tentative hand on her elbow.

Keeping her eyes on the bed, she sidestepped his touch and leaned closer to their
writhing patient.

Martin appeared hurt, humiliated even, like she’d slapped him in front of their closest
associates. It was far more obvious here, in the vision, just how consumed Martin
was with the more dominant Jazmine. It was pathetic watching him grovel for her affection.

Someone nearby called for water. Unlike the thrashing man who’d won Jazmine’s approval,
this patient was calm and composed despite his precarious position.

Martin’s German Shepherd, who I’d failed to notice at first glance, growled a warning
deep in his chest, reminding me of Zane.

Even in my dream state, Zane still intruded. He’d beguiled and branded me forever
with his kisses and sensuous caresses. As hard as I tried to fight the pull, the truth
was in front of me like a larger than life 3D movie.

I belonged with him. I wanted to be his mate; his wife; his companion.

An infuriated command from Jazmine pierced through my passion-filled ponderings. “Kill
him! He’s going to become one of them. There’s too many! We …”

A guard charged forward, pistol pointed at the bunk.

It was empty.

The thirsty patient had vanished. The restraints remained intact. He’d disappeared
from the room.

“Find him!” Jazmine bellowed, shoving Martin aside when he tried once again to comfort
her. “I want David dead! Now!”

I spun to face my cloaked guide. David?

Of course, he was showing me his personal history with Jazmine. He’d been a regular
guy, or so it seemed. But some unholy experiment, courtesy of Jazmine and her supporters,
changed David from a normal looking man into the hideously-hooded, bald creature still
hovering a few feet away.

“They killed those of us who didn’t shift into mutant form. They are creating a mutant
army, changing humans. Jazmine and Martin are using the earliest recorded fae magic
to change the mutants. They can now shift at will, without the full moon. If they
recover the coins, they will hold a key to immortality. Those of us with fae blood,
turn into
this
.” David dropped his head. “You must stop them, Chloe. Join with your mate. United,
you will unveil a powerful magic.”

“Fae blood? Magic?” Great, more mythical mysteries, but that still didn’t answer the
one burning question I needed answered. “David, how did Jazmine find me …?”

***

Chapter 38

“Wake up! Chloe!” a shrill whisper whistled through my mind, knocking me from my sleep-induced
vision and almost off my bunk.

Grabbing the thin blanket, I pushed up into a sitting position and found myself facing
a wide-eyed Connie. Deb was snoring obscenely, her book flopped open over her face,
several pages fluttering as she exhaled.

I was annoyed by Connie’s interruption. I needed to learn more from David but had
no idea when he’d reappear. “So,
now
you’ll talk to me?” I whispered, sounding harsher than intended.

“Sorry about earlier, but I couldn’t risk it. Jazmine and her flunkies are psychotic
at best.”

I couldn’t agree more with her judgment, and I was relieved she hadn’t taken my negative
reaction to heart. I could use an ally in this Godforsaken place.

“So you know her real name too? Everyone else calls her
The Mistress
,” I hissed Jazmine’s pathetic, pornographic title, hating the way the words polluted
my mouth.

Mistress of Misery and Mayhem fit our captor like a well-tailored suit. I envisioned
greeting her with the title next time she materialized.

Connie inched closer, prompting me to do the same, until we were both teetering perilously
close to the edges of our cots. Deb chose that moment to groan and then take a haphazard
swipe at her blanket before returning to her snoring session.

Right now, it was crucial that we avoid waking our roommate. Connie seemed to agree
as she maneuvered off her bed with great skill, pillow and blanked tucked under her
arm.

Adjusting my weight, I followed her example and joined her on the floor by the dressers.
I attempted to cocoon myself in my lone blanket, making sure I had a clear view of
the sleeping, snoring beauty.

“Don’t worry; you’ll know if she wakes up. The engine will stop roaring.” Connie smirked.

I was beginning to like the fresh-faced blonde. She seemed to have the sarcastic routine
down.

Not sure how much time we had before Deb emerged from dreamland, I fired off several
questions I’d been dying to ask anyone with answers. “What is this place and why are
you here? I think I know why they want me, but what about the rest of the women? And,
Jazmine, how do you know her name?”

“This is an old, abandoned high school. All I know is it’s on an Indian reservation
somewhere in Northern Washington.”

The school’s location made sense in light of what I’d learned at yesterday’s board
meeting. Picturing Zane sent a fresh stab of longing through my core.

“As for our mysterious mistress …” Connie, unaware of my inner torment, glanced at
Deb before continuing. “She showed up at the specialty bridal store where I work,
about three weeks ago; said she was planning the wedding of the century. That’s what
they all say.

Anyway, I smelled what she was right away. I was surprised she’d chosen to frequent
a mutant-owned shop, being a purebred and all. We helped her pick out a gown, and
then she returned a week later to check on its progress even though we’d given her
a pickup date.”

I seethed at the thought of Jazmine planning a wedding to
my
husband. My. Husband. Thoughts of Zane threatened to generate a river of tears, something
I didn’t have time to indulge. Swallowing hard, I met Connie’s eyes.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Nothing that I can’t deal with. Please … go on.”

“Well, like I said, she came back unannounced with two of her boy toys. Sensing danger,
but not sure what to do, I did my best to please her. She still needed her bridesmaid
dresses.

When I bent over to grab our latest sample book, one of her men knocked me out cold.
I woke up in a van full of other mutant women. I happened to be seated closest to
the front divider. I overheard the driver call her Jazmine. That was the first time
that I heard anyone use her given name. She’d listed the name, Zane Marshall, on all
her wedding documentation at the shop.”

I felt the usual wave of jealousy spiral through me

None of this made any sense. The one thing I was sure about: how much I hated Jazmine.

Maybe she was insane with no hidden motives. She’d certainly made her craving for
Zane known to me. Maybe her sole purpose was to marry him and produce a litter of
pups.

No. She was doing something far more devious than planning a wedding to an already
married man. Her clandestine medical activities proved that. Killing off the men in
Plum Beach, and searching for ancient coins weren’t part of her marriage preparations
either.

Connie glanced again at Deb and lowered her voice. “I know this sounds stupid, but
one of the others, a woman who has been here a long time, said
The Mistress
was rounding up all the most attractive mutant females to keep us under control, so
she could use us as servants for her new army.”

I’d heard all about the whole army thing in my dream with David. “Great. Another take
over the world scheme. A modern day Hitler who sprouts fur and …”

The snoring came to a sudden halt. Like an operating switch had been flicked into
the off position. I stiffened and felt Connie tense beside me.

A few grumbles and pillow punches later and Deb settled back down.

Giving Connie a warning look, I nodded for her to continue.

By the time she finished, I’d pieced together a theory. One with a number of gaping
holes, but it was better than nothing.

Jazmine, her sidekick, Martin, from Logan’s Board of Directors, along with a bunch
of mutant-wannabe-warriors, were attempting to collapse the current purebred hierarchy
and take control of their business interests, and God knew what else.

This wasn’t a fight for equal rights, more like a hostile takeover.

And as Connie had explained, it appeared as if Jazmine was trapping mutant women to
do her bidding, ensuring she kept the upper hand with her male followers.

Unluckily for Jazmine, more of the female mutants were going to form bonds with their
alleged, Loyal-to-The Mistress’ captors, following in the footsteps of Connie and
Dillon’s blissful example.

In addition, according to Connie, Deb had started out as a serious ringleader, stirring
up unrest and causing Jazmine more than a few headaches. Rather than killing her,
Jazmine now used our still-snoring roommate’s popularity with the other women to her
advantage.

Deb had been converted to the “lower level” spy; rooming with the women deemed rebellious,
thus unworthy to serve their Mistress. In order to keep her circulating amongst the
others, the time to reinsert her back into the general population had arrived. The
cycle would continue. Deb would seek out any dissenters and report them while pretending
to be their accomplice

Dillon had trusted Connie with the secret, warning her to keep any anti-Mistress views
to herself. He was determined to protect Connie, even going as far as to start planning
an escape.

If I had anything to say about it, me and any other desiring woman would be joining
the lovebirds when they decided to leave the nest.

After two hours of hushed conversation, I determined Connie was worthy of my trust.
I had to believe in someone. There was no way I’d get out of here alive on my own.
Having a guard on our side would be yet another bonus.

Once we’d decided to trust each other, I launched into my own story, skipping the
parts about Valamir, the coins, and my own advanced mindreading talents.

As I’d done so many times before, I shared an abridged version of my special skills,
sticking to how the animal communication process had worked in the beginning. I didn’t
want Connie or Dillon aware of my ability to delve into their minds’ darkest corners.

Under the circumstances, I could trust just enough to take the next step.

Anymore might prove deadly.