Enigma:What Lies Beneath (Enigma Series Book 1) (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four

An overwhelming feeling of being home settled inside Abbie’s chest. She’d made it to Aukrabah, Hauke’s place of birth and the place she would birth their son as well.

It didn’t matter that she’d left her life behind, her career, family and friends as long as she had Hauke.

Aukrabah was nothing if not stunningly beautiful. The pool of life as he’d called it was pale aqua-blue with iridescent lights shining up from the bottom that lit up the entire area.

She dressed quickly in the pink sweats she’d brought along and pulled on her sneakers. “Where are your people?”

“Deep within. Most will be sleeping at this hour, which is good. It will ensure our trek through the halls is without incident.”

Abbie knelt next to one of the waterproof bags, snagged her freezer baggie of toiletries, and a bottle of water.

“Uncle Tony and Naura should be here by now.” She opened the bottled water and took two aspirin she’d retrieved from the clear baggie.

A frown marred Hauke’s brow. “What are those?”

“Aspirin. They will help with the fever until we can see your healer.”

“Is it something that you will need more of?”

Recapping her water, she stood. “Let’s hope not. I brought along some antibiotics I had left over from a wisdom tooth extraction also, but it’s not enough to do much good if this gets worse.”

She hated her ignorance of the Psinum Incola virus, but being on the run for the past couple of months and constantly in hiding prevented her from getting pertinent information.

The only knowledge she had of the bacteria she’d learned from the television. And past experience had taught her to never trust the media.

“Where do all those openings lead?” Everywhere she could see contained an arched doorway with glowing stones that rested inside hollowed-out sconces.

Hauke glanced in the direction of her gaze. “The one straight ahead leads to my quarters. My parents are through there.” He pointed toward a giant circular entrance with near flawless steps leading to the opening.

“That one goes to the great hall where my father holds court.” He indicated an even larger passage. “And that one goes to many residents, bathhouses, schools, and training rooms.”

Abbie trailed over to run her hand along the smooth rock wall of the cave entrance. “How big is Aukrabah?”

“It is split into more than one direction for many miles.”

Abbie mulled that over for a minute. “As in north, south, east and west? “

“That is correct. It branches off not far from this location, connecting in different places throughout.”

“How long have your people lived here?”

Hauke retrieved Abbie’s dive gear and strolled toward a small mountain of rock against the opposite wall. “The Bracadyte—or
our people
, as you say—have been here since the old king disappeared below with his native bride more than five centuries past.”

“How long do the Bracadyte live?”

He shot her a grin. “You are a curious little human.”

Abbie immediately felt contrite. “I’m sorry. This is all so overwhelming and incredible.”

“I am only teasing you, my mate. I do not mind answering your questions.”

He stowed the gear behind the rocks, moving them around to better conceal its contents. “Our lifespan differs from yours. Enzymes received from the blood we take into our veins speed up our healing and restores our bodies, enabling us to live much longer.”

She took a seat on a square-shaped boulder next to the pool. “Mind if I ask your age?”

“I was born fourteen thousand, two hundred, and forty-five moons ago.”

Chewing her lip, Abbie mentally calculated the numbers. “So, you’re thirty-nine years old.”

He nodded. “I learned of the human celebration every three hundred sixty-five days. It is called a birthday. The Bracadyte celebrate their birth every three thousand, six hundred, and fifty moons.”

Abbie gaped at him. “Every ten years?”

“It has been a Bracadyte custom since before the ancient scrolls were written.”

Shadows entering the pool of life caught Abbie’s attention, saving Hauke from further questioning.

She peered over the side in time to see her uncle pull his hand free of Hauke’s sister’s and swim away from her.

Odd how Tony behaved in Naura’s presence, Abbie thought, watching him pop up a few feet from the steps of the pool. Something felt off about him as if he couldn’t bear the Bracadyte female’s touch.

He swam to the water’s edge and removed his mask, the look on his face one of amazement. “What is this place?”

“Welcome to Aukrabah,” Naura softly announced, climbing from the pool. The borrowed clothing she’d gotten from Abbie showed her womanly curves in all the right places, leaving Abbie slightly intimidated.

“Is something amiss?” Naura trailed over to Abbie, wringing the excess water from her hair. The jeans she wore were far too short, as was the top, but on Naura’s flawless body, they looked perfect as if she’d walked straight off the cover of a magazine.

“Your uncle is not an easy man to like.” She took a seat next to Abbie, stretching her long legs out in front of her.

Abbie knew all too well about Tony’s shortcomings. “I know. I’m sorry you got stuck with him. He can be a pain in the ass, but he’s come through for me on more than one occasion.”

“She’s the pain in the ass,” Tony accused, jerking his chin toward Naura while stepping from the pool. “You both are, actually.”

Hiding a smile, Abbie ignored his insult. “Are you going in with us?”

“I do not think that is wise.” Hauke straightened, sauntering toward them with a frown. “If he is found in the halls, I cannot guarantee his safety. It will be difficult enough explaining your presence, my mate.”

Tony rested his hands on his hips. “Can you guarantee my niece’s safety?”

“I can,” Hauke assured him. “No harm will come to my mate as long as I live.”

“Then I’ll be on my way. You have the weapons. If you get into trouble, don’t hesitate to use them.”

Hauke extended his hand to Abbie’s uncle. “I will not need your human weapons. But I give you my word that I will use them if I must.”

Tony accepted his outstretched palm. “Take care of her, Hauke.”

The use of Hauke’s name on Tony’s lips brought tears to Abbie’s eyes. It was first time he’d acknowledged Hauke as a person and not an alien.

She got to her feet and threw her arms around the only relative she had besides Henry. “Thank you for everything, Uncle Tony. I won’t forget what you’ve done for me.”

Pulling back, she kissed him on the cheek. “Please stay safe and remember that I love you. Always.”

A flicker of emotion flashed in his eyes before slipping into the deadpan emptiness she’d come to know so well.

“Stay out of trouble,” Tony murmured, returning to the pool’s edge. He stepped into the water, adjusting his mask as he went.

“What will you do?” Hauke asked the question that had been plaguing Abbie for weeks.

“I plan on laying low for a few months until some of the heat dies down, and then I’ll become a Mexican before the year’s end.”

Sending Hauke the thumbs-up sign, Tony disappeared beneath the surface with a smirk.

A sinking feeling overcame Abbie as she watched her uncle vanish from view. What if she never saw him again? He might be ex-CIA, but he was also human, and humans made mistakes.

Hauke moved in close and wrapped her in a hug. “He is a strong and intelligent man, my love. He will fare well.”

Abbie sure hoped so. If something happened to her mom’s only brother, she would never forgive herself.

“Come,” Hauke gently coaxed. “Let us go to our bed and sleep. I will let Father know we have arrived once we have rested.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Hauke scooped Abbie up into his arms, ignoring her demands that she could walk. The fever inside her had cooled, but her body appeared pale and weak.

Naura followed close behind, carrying the two bags containing Abbie’s clothing and the weapons that Tony had packed. “Shall I retrieve the healer?”

“No. You should go to your rooms once we see to Abbie’s needs. I will call for him after she is settled.”

Abbie lifted her head from his shoulder. “Will he sound the alarm when he finds me here?”

Hauke shook his head. “He does not talk of things that are not his concern.”

“A human in Aukrabah isn’t his concern?” Abbie’s question, though casually asked, was laced with apprehension.

“You are with me, and therefore not a trespasser. He will honor my wish for silence.”

Abbie laid her head against his shoulder once more. “It would seem that our species really aren’t that different after all.”

“I do not understand?” Hauke nudged the top of her head with his cheek.

“Your healer sounds as if he holds to the same code as our human doctors. It’s called
patient confidentiality
.”

Hauke slipped quietly past the entrance that led to his parents’ quarters before taking a left at the fork in the hall. He had traveled the familiar path many times in his life and felt certain he could find his way with his eyes closed.

Arriving at his rooms a few minutes later, Hauke pulled back the curtain and stepped inside, grateful they had made it without being seen.

He gently set Abbie on her feet and turned to accept the bags his sister held. “My thanks, Naura. Go get some sleep. We will inform our parents of your safe return upon awakening.”

Naura stepped forward and kissed Abbie’s cheek. “Rest well, my sister.”

“Goodnight, Naura,” Abbie softly responded. “Thank you for everything. I couldn’t have asked for a better sister.”

Hauke motioned for Abbie to follow him through the giant chamber to his bedroom in back.

He placed the bags he carried in an alcove in the wall, tucking them behind a stack of blankets. “That should work for tonight.”

The look on Abbie’s face as he straightened brought a smile to his face. She stood in the center of the room with her mouth hanging open and her eyes glittering with wonderment.

“I have never seen anything like it, Hauke. It’s bigger than any bedroom I’ve ever been in before.”

She rushed toward his oversized bed and sat before spreading her arms and falling back. “It’s soft like memory foam. How? I mean, what is it made of?”

Hauke grinned and strode over to join her, taking a seat next to her small form. “The material is made from many sharks’ skins. It is then filled with the purest sand from the gulf floor and stitched together to ensure the sand remains inside.”

She smiled up at him. “It’s genius. I paid over three thousand dollars for my bed back home, and it’s nowhere near as comfortable as this.”

“We have no need for money in Aukrabah.”

“I guess not. But how do you get things such as the needles to sew with? That cup sitting over there looks silver to me. Where did it come from?”

“Vaulcron, my brother, is in charge of trading. Most of our dishes, weapons, and many other treasures come from his trips abroad.”

Abbie sat up so fast she nearly bumped his chin with her head. “You trade with humans?”

“Only one. His name is Miguel. He lives a distance south of us in Cuba. I have only met him a few times, but my brother deals with him often.”

“Has he ever been here to your home?”

“No. My father trusts no man with the location of Aukrabah. Not even Miguel.”

“But Miguel knows you’re not human?”

Hauke ran a hand down her arm. “He does. “There is history with them that is unknown to all save for Miguel and my father.”

“Interesting,” Abbie murmured with a yawn.

“You are tired. We will talk on the morrow.” He gently eased her back onto the sand filled pillows, snagged a sharkskin blanket from the foot of the bed, and covered her slight body.

“Aren’t you coming to bed?” She stared up at him with glassy eyes, telling him the fever still raged within her.

Hauke stood and removed his clothing, all but the boxer briefs Tony had purchased for him. Hauke rather liked them, he decided, crawling under the cover and pulling Abbie into his arms. He would ask his brother to bring him several pair back on his next trip south.

“You’re so warm,” Abbie slurred, snuggling tighter against him.

“Sleep, my love. All will be better when you awaken.”

“I love you, Hauke.”

“And I love you, soul of my soul.”

Hauke held her until her breathing slowed and her body relaxed completely before sliding from the bed and donning his pants.

He would not wait for the morning to summon the healer. Abbie needed him now, before the bacteria damaged her beyond the point of no return.

“
Zaureth
,” Hauke mentally called. “
I am in need of your help
.”

“
Hauke
?” came the quiet reply.

“Yes, it is I.”

“
You speak the native tongue of the human’s.”

Hauke took a breath for patience.
“I will explain all when you arrive. I am in my rooms.”

“Very well. I will be there posthaste.”

“
Many thanks, Zaureth, and I would ask that you keep it between us that I am home. I have not informed the king of my return as of yet.”

Zaureth took so long to answer that Hauke wondered if he had severed their connection. “
It is not for me to judge your actions, son of our king, only to assist you when called upon.”

Hauke paced the room in silence, closing his mind off to any that might feel his dismay. Abbie’s fever had returned and with it, the shivering.

“I am here,” Zaureth announced from the doorway.

“We are in the back.” Hauke motioned for him to proceed into the bedroom, waving a hand toward the bed.

Zaureth stopped short. “Is that a human female?”

“She’s my mate, Zaureth. She is ill and needs your help.”

The healer took a hesitant step forward, never taking his gaze from Abbie. “Does the king know you have mated with our enemy?”

“He had me locked up for it. She is not our enemy, Zaureth. Abbie is different from the others. She is good and kind.”

Zaureth crept closer, shifting his attention between Hauke and the human resting in his bed. “She is smaller than the Bracadyte females. What is it that ails her?”

“Have a seat, and I will tell you all.”

The healer sat on the edge of the bed as Hauke resumed his pacing and explained the events that took place involving the land walkers, ending with, “You have to help her, Zaureth. I cannot live without her.”

Sympathy shone from the healer’s eyes. “I will do what I can, but the king will not be happy with you once news of her existence in Aukrabah reaches him.”

Hauke only nodded as Zaureth eased the cover down to Abbie’s waist and went to work. His hands hovered over her head for long moments before moving down her torso and stopping on her stomach. “She is with child.”

“Yes,” Hauke quietly confirmed. “Can you heal her?”

“At what time did she conceive?”

“In human terms, she became with child two months past.”

Zaureth stood and moved away from the bed. “I cannot help her, son of my king. The child growing inside her belly is her only salvation. He alone will decide whether she lives or dies.”

Hauke gripped his arm as he moved to leave. “What kind of insanity do you speak? The child is not able to decide her fate, healer. He is but a babe, too small to yet birth.”

“I have told you all that I know. Please allow me to pass.”

Hauke reluctantly released his hold on the healer’s arm. “There is nothing that can be done?”

“I have induced a sleep that will allow her body to do what it must. Now we wait.”