The Sacrifice (6 page)

 “Only
two hundred Sivadians escaped our planet with their lives. When we arrived on
Earth, the year was 1725AD. Once we realized the advantages we held over Earth
’
s
population, we vowed on the death of our king never to use humans as a blood
source, or prey on any species the way Haagons had on ours. That vow became the
first law we made in our new world. Little did we know, one day it would start
the war that divided our race.”

He turned the lights back up and
clicked off the projector. “King Cieran had two sons. Cygan was chosen to
succeed his father on the throne. His twin brother Vindius was chosen to
command our army. The war began when we discovered Vindius and his troops had
begun feeding from humans. No longer satisfied with the synthetic blood we
drink to survive, they became addicted to the endorphins released in human
blood, which causes volatile, unstable behavior.”

The
commander walked around and stood in front of his desk as if he wanted to make
sure he had everyone
’
s attention. “Female feeders lost the ability to
conceive when a group of witches cursed them. The curse was specific to anyone
who kills to consume human blood, leaving us unaffected. That
’
s
where you come in. They
’
ll use you as a breeder, until you are a hollowed
shell of your former self. When you
’
re no longer able to
conceive, they
’
ll either turn you into a feeder, or drain you.”

A
collective gasp came from several girls behind her. Her mother had explained in
great detail what happened to abducted girls. But hearing it from a stranger
sent a chill up Riana
’
s spine, neck and scalp. Every hair on her head
prickled.

“The
other part of the curse leaves feeders unable to walk in full sunlight. While
we are only sensitive to bright sunrays, the curse amplified their weakness to
it. Between the changes brought on by their addiction, and the witches’ curse,
we no longer consider feeders as Sivadians. They are merciless killers. What
you learn while here will become your best chance of avoiding abduction. We
’
ll
teach you more than you ever knew existed about feeders. More importantly, we
’
ll
teach you to defend yourself. The next few weeks will be fast paced and
exhausting, but absolutely necessary for your survival.”

The commander dismissed the class and
stood beside the desk with his gaze locked on Riana. He was so intimidating.
She clutched her notebook to her chest, and kept her head down as she passed.

“Ma
’
am,
may I speak with you for a moment?”

Riana stiffened, but turned and looked
into his eyes. “Yes, sir?”

“What is your name?”

“Ayriana Martin.”

“You
resemble someone I used to know. What are your parents
’
names?”

“My mother is Analae Martin.”

His breath hitched and he cleared his
throat before speaking. “And your father?”

“His name was Cadas. He died before I
was born.”

The commander paled and eased down to
sit on the desk.

“Commander, are you all right?”

Maybe
he knew him. I shouldn
’
t have blurted out he was dead.
“I
’
m sorry, commander. Did you know my father?”

“Yes…I believe I did.” His voice was a
little flat and uncertain. “Your mother…is she well?”

“She is. She works for the Sivadian
Extension Council, and stationed at the CDC in Atlanta. Did you know my father
well?”

He stared vacantly into space, nodding
his head.

A
million questions catapulted through Riana
’
s mind. If he knew
her father, maybe she could get some answers she
’
d
always wanted—
answers her mother
had avoided like a CDC pathogen.
“I
’
ve never met anyone who knew him besides my
mother. It seemed to upset her when I asked questions, so I actually know
little about his life. If you have time while I
’
m here, I
’
d
love to hear anything you remember.”

Riana
waited for a response. The commander
’
s continued silence
and head bobbing, suggested he wasn
’
t even in the
present.

Damn.

 
“Okay…well, it was nice to meet you, Commander. I
’
ll
tell my mother we met.”

 She
turned to leave, but stopped when she reached the door and looked back. His
expression was unchanged, but she could
’
ve sworn she heard
him mumble. “So will I, sweetheart.”

That
’
s strange. I must have imagined it.

Elle stood in the hallway waiting for
her. “What was all that about?”

Heat
radiated from Riana
’
s face. “The commander knew my father. But he
clammed up the same way mother always does when I ask questions. Before I leave
here, he
’
s going to tell me what he knows about my father
’
s
life, whether he wants to or not.”

The next day Cy and Oz worked in
Asheville scanning the minds of shop owners downtown.

“I
can
’
t believe no one saw anything suspicious,” Cy
said. “Or that no more feeders were found during last night
’
s
search.”

Oz ran his hand down his goatee and
tugged on the ends. “If feeders were in Asheville or the surrounding towns,
they would have been killing humans. Maybe the two we caught were the only ones
around.”

They
transported back to the compound courtyard. Once inside the gates, Cy glanced
over at Oz. “I
’
m going by the interrogation chamber to see how
Miles and Kam are coming along with the prisoner. Earlier today he wasn
’
t
talking, so they called and asked to use the ‘
Judas Cradle.
’
I hated to let them drag that medieval torture
device out, but between a feeder and innocent victim, the feeder will lose
every time. I told them to try stripping his clothes and leave him hanging above
it for a while first.”

Oz grimaced and shook his head. “No
one in their right mind would let you lower their naked ass onto that pointed
thing. Just looking at it is a form of torture.”

 “I
’
ll
come by your office and let you know how it went.”

“I
might not be there. I have an errand to take care of,” Oz said. “Not really
sure how long it
’
ll take, so I
’
ll call when I
return. Would you keep an eye on things this evening?”

“Sure.
I
’
m going back out to patrol with Miles tonight. I
’
ll
text everyone to call me first.”

Cy walked to a cinder-block building
behind the Protectors’ lodge. It housed the cells where they held prisoners
until their sentencing. He went through all the security checks to get inside,
and then took the hall opposite the cells. The scent of fresh blood and
astringent filled the area.

Miles and Kam came out of the torture
chamber and met him in the hallway.

“Well, did he talk?”

Kam
snorted “He didn
’
t hang over that contraption ten minutes before he
started screaming he
’
d talk. When we got back in there, he became quite
the Chatty Cathy.”

“Can
’
t
much blame him,”
Miles said.

“Were they here looking for us?”

Miles
released a deep breath. Cy recognized his best friend
’
s
reaction to stress, always accompanied by bad news, always at the worst
possible moment, and always something he never wanted to hear.

“He
and his friend were trackers hired by Vind,”
Miles said.
“And they
were
looking for the compound. A few months back, Vind received a tip that our
headquarters was located somewhere in the Eastern U.S. He hired trackers from
all over the world to cover the entire Eastern Seaboard. Those two had been
searching North Carolina. They started at the coast and worked their way west.
Since they were almost out of the state, they decided we weren
’
t
here and dropped their guard.”

“Were they the only trackers in North
Carolina?”

“He
said they were,” Miles replied. “Soren is still Vind
’
s
second-in-command, and they call him once a week to check in. He denies knowing
the location of Vind
’
s headquarters.”

“And you believe him?”

They both nodded.

“I
think he
’
s telling the truth,”
Kam said.
“That guy wanted no more of what we were dishing out.”

Cy
’
s
lips thinned as he slowly shook his head. “It
’
s only a matter of
time before someone realizes they
’
re missing. Instead of sending this guy to the
rehab facility, let
’
s keep him here and force him to make the calls.
At least until we
’
re finished with this class. In the meantime, we
can rally the other Protectors and plan a strategy.”

Miles
pushed a swoop of hair from his forehead. “Once the girls leave, we can make
him lead Vind to us. Then we
’
ll have the upper hand. Better him on our turf
than us on his.

 “Sounds
like a plan,” Cy said. “Miles, I
’
m going to patrol with you tonight. Since Kam
whined about first rotation for escorting the girls.”

“You
’
re
just jealous you
’
re not going along.” Kam smiled like the Cheshire
cat.

“No,
really, I
’
m not.” Cy left and headed across the compound to
his apartment. He planned to take a long, hot shower and relax before heading
back out with Miles. Oz, Kam, and Miles were the only Protectors who knew his
true identity. Everyone else believed Cy stood for Simon. The idea of Cygan,
their future king, and Simon, second-in-command of the Protectors, being the
same person was inconceivable.

He
could always count on the Royal Council to run their mouths and keep the lie
alive. During his weekly council meetings they never hid their disdain. They
’
d
called him many things throughout the centuries, his favorite being, ‘the
playboy prince,
’
believing he shunned his duties. If the council
knew their future king fought feeders every night, they would still try to stop
him. Bunch of up-tight assholes.

Cy
turned the corner and came to an abrupt halt. The girl he
’
d
met yesterday was walking toward the trainees’ lodge with a blonde woman. Her
long, auburn hair pulled into a ponytail drew attention to her brilliant,
emerald eyes, framed by long, thick lashes. Her skin was flushed, indicating
she had been exercising in the gym. His heart kicked into high gear as an image
of her beneath him flashed into his mind, her skin moist and flushed from
making love.

She
laughed at something the blonde said. It was the most intoxicating sound he
’
d
ever heard. His groin swelled to the point of pain inside his tight leathers.
After they entered the lodge, Cy leaned against the large oak, bent at the
waist and propped his hands on his knees to ease the restriction inside his
pants.

What
the hell? I know it
’
s been awhile since I was with a female, but
this is ridiculous.
He
gave himself a minute to recover, took some deep breaths to clear his head, and
continued toward his apartment. That long, hot shower he
’
d
looked forward to had just turned into a long, cold one.

***

 Oz
materialized on a screened back porch in an Atlanta suburb. He sat in a porch
chair, determined to stay there until Analae Martin arrived home. One way or
another, he
’
d find out if Riana was his daughter. Even though
she had Analae
’
s eyes, she reminded him of his own mother. From
the exact shade of deep auburn hair, to the way she looked you in the eye while
you spoke, like you had her undivided attention. Even the confident way she
carried herself was identical to his mother.

Maybe
I
’m just
imagining
things
.

No…too
many things pointed to Riana being his. Unless Analae had been seeing someone
else while they were together. If so, she needed an Oscar for a performance
well played. They were so in love, they couldn
’
t stand being apart.
Right up until the day she walked out without a word. Before that, he would
never have believed her capable of up and leaving. So who
’
s
to say what the woman was capable of doing? Maybe he
’
d
never known her at all.

 Damn,
I
’
m driving myself crazy. I need something to do
until she gets home.

Oz
stood and glanced through the bay window into the house. Maybe he
’
d
go inside for a quick exploration. He materialized inside the kitchen, and
squinted against the brightness of his surroundings. The counters, cabinets,
appliances, walls, even the floors were white. Not a crumb or spot of dirt
anywhere, as if no food had ever touched a surface.

I
’
m sure she
’
s no Betty Crocker
.

A
slight smile crossed his lips as he recalled the first meal she
’
d
made him. No seasoning, the meat charred so black he could have eaten a burnt
woodchip and not known the difference. Instead of hurting her feelings, he
’
d
forced down every bite.

Oz
eased through a dining room and came to an abrupt stop at the living room
entrance. He glanced down at his boots and checked for dirt before stepping
onto the white carpet. He scanned the room
’
s white furniture and
shook his head.

Man
,
what is it with her and white?
Growing
up in this place must have been hell for a child. I bet Riana wasn
’
t allowed to touch a thing.

He
climbed the stairs, and glanced inside several bedrooms as he eased through the
hall. A pink room with splashes of vibrant greens, the only non-sterile room in
the house, had probably been Riana
’
s before she
’
d
left for college. Pictures of her with friends sat on the dresser. Her carefree
smile in the photographs was a sharp contrast to the girl he
’
d
met earlier at the compound. Framed academic awards bearing her name hung on
the walls. He
’
d missed all the laughter and accomplishments of
her entire childhood. Anger began a slow burn in his gut. How could Analae have
robbed him of being a father?

The hum of a motor coming up the
driveway alerted Oz, and he transported back to the chair on the screened
porch. A white BMW pulled around to the rear of the house and stopped. He
watched as Analae got out and removed several bags from the back seat.

A band clenched around his heart and
squeezed like a vice. Analae was as beautiful as the day she had left. The same
pale, flawless skin, bright green eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes, and
hair so black it was almost blue.

She came up on the porch while digging
in her purse, oblivious to his presence.

“
Hello, Analae,
” he said with a deep growl.

Her head jerked toward him. She let
out a blood-curdling scream, dropped everything in her hands and transported
off the porch. The pounding of feet climbing stairs alerted him to where she
was. He rose from the chair, picked up her bags and transported inside the back
door.

“Analae,
you need to come down here and talk to me. I
’
m not leaving until
you do.”