The Enemy Within (Daughters of the People Series Book 3) (25 page)
Read The Enemy Within (Daughters of the People Series Book 3) Online
Authors: Lucy Varna
“Marry me.” She
lifted her hips and brought them down, sheathing him fully within her,
stretching herself with his hard length. “My needing time is soon. I want to be
married before we have children.”
His wide mouth
tilted into a wicked smile, lighting his hazel eyes from within. “Elizabeth
already blessed us. We’re married, sweetheart, have been for a while.”
“Why didn’t you
tell me?” she said, and let happiness pull a laugh from her. Of course he’d
already secured her mother’s permission, not the grudging acceptance of a
mother for her Daughter’s mate that Elizabeth had given in the formal
presentation, but a true blessing. In the eyes of the People, that final
permission was more binding than anything mortal law required them to do. He
would want them to be bound as tightly as they could be. Now that she’d found
her heart and him in it, she wanted that, too, just as deeply.
“I’ve been
telling everybody who’d listen.” He took her hands and kissed the tips of her
fingers. “Thought you’d figured it out already.”
“No, but now
that I have, it’s too late for you. I’ll never let you slip away again.”
He pulled her
forward and thrust up into her with slow, lazy strokes. “Just try and get rid
of me.”
“Not a chance,”
she said, and took her time giving him all the love in her heart.
India woke
slowly, climbing her way carefully through the dense fog in her head. With
every breath, her lungs burned and her ribs pinched. Aches blossomed across her
face, down her torso, along her arms and legs, and memory hit.
Indigo shooting
her to protect the Oracle.
Bobby throwing
off Indigo’s aim and Indigo losing her immortality to him.
Shuffling down
the hallway with them. Rebecca stepping into their path.
Trying to get
past Margaret, and then Moira, and the hits that kept coming, even after she’d
fallen to the floor and curled into a ball to protect her internal organs and
head.
And then
nothing.
She tried to
open her eyes and winced when light pierced through her. She lifted a hand to
shield herself from it and heard the
shink
of metal on metal as her hand
came up short, stopped by a cold grip on her wrist.
She lost her
breath as dread crept through her. They’d chained her, probably had her in a
cage somewhere. Her heart tripped, stalling in her chest, and raced hard and
fast when it found its beat again. A cold sweat broke out on her skin and her
lungs heaved, trying to catch air.
Locked up in a
tiny cell surrounded by concrete and the hopeless stench of the enslaved. Her
worst fear, come to life.
She struggled
against whatever was holding her, trying to break free, and screamed when a
hand came down on her arm.
“Hush now.
You’re safe.”
She turned her
head toward the gentle male voice. “Hiro?”
Her own voice
sounded oddly broken as it rasped out of her throat. What had they done to her?
“Don’t speak.” A
hand brushed hair off of her forehead. “If I unlock the handcuffs, will you
promise not to try an escape?”
She nodded
carefully, sighed when the metal bands slid away from her. “Where?” she
whispered.
A long silence
followed, so long she thought he’d left. “Somewhere safe. It’s better if you
don’t know the details.”
She nodded
again, not sure why she was agreeing, and curled onto her side. The ground gave
next to her. No, not the ground, a bed. Hiro had sat down close enough for his
heat to radiate onto her. A shiver ran through her and then another one until
her body shook from head to toe with it. She bit her lip, trying to quell the
tears, and felt them streak hotly down her face anyway. Something soft fell
against her, covering her, and then he was behind her, holding her gently.
“You’re safe
now. I’ve got you.”
After an
eternity, the tears quieted and her body warmed. Questions ran through her mind
too fast for her to hold on to them, except for one. How had he gotten her away
from Rebecca and her daughters? She struggled to form a question and finally
managed a single, “How?”
“You want to
know what happened. I get that, but it’s too complicated to talk about now.”
Something brushed against her hair, his face maybe, and then his mouth found
her neck, pressing a kiss there. “I’ll tell you all about it later, when you’re
awake enough to understand. For now, try to focus on getting better. Dr.
Phillips said you’ll be fine, but you took a beating.”
She winced. That
part, she remembered. It was everything else that was fuzzy.
“Look, I’m still
kinda pissed at you, so pissed I almost let them lock you up, but you don’t
have to worry about that anymore. You’re safe. Your record’s been wiped clean.
As far as the law’s concerned, you never existed.” His sigh blew across the
back of her neck. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this now. You’re not gonna
remember.”
“Will.” She coughed
to clear her throat, groaned as pain stabbed through her so hard her vision
dimmed. She waited it out, clinging to his silent strength, using it to claw
her way back to reality. “Thanks,” she managed at last, and let his chuckle
bring an answering humor from her.
“Stubborn. Thank
God for that. I thought I’d lost you.”
She shook her
head, careful not to jostle it too much. There was so much she wanted to tell
him, so many things bottled up in her heart. How she’d thought of him when
she’d fallen under Margaret’s sledgehammer-like blows, and how she’d wanted to
live then, wanted so badly to live long enough to tell him how much he meant to
her. She might never be able to love him, not the way a woman was supposed to
love a man. Her heart was too damaged for that, but what was left of it, she
wanted him to have.
Even if it could
never be love.
“Shh, baby. Go
to sleep now. I’ll be here when you wake up, promise.”
Dizziness washed
over her. She let it take her down until she fell into a deep, healing sleep,
secure in the embrace of the only man she’d ever trusted.
Read the next
book in the series now!
Tempered
WANT EXCLUSIVE STORIES SET IN THE WORLD
OF THE PEOPLE?
One
of the best things about being a writer is having a chance to share interesting
stories with readers, and one of the easiest ways we can do that is by letting
you know when those stories are released. To that purpose, I have a newsletter
where, from time to time, I share information about new releases, special
offers, and other items of interest.
As
a bonus, newsletter subscribers gain access to exclusive stories:
- “No Good Deed,”
a
Daughters of the People short story. Varin must protect a fragile copy of
the Prophecy of Light from the Eternal Order in this historical fantasy. - “Trick or Treat,”
a
Daughters of the People short story. Dierdre Bellegarde goes
trick-or-treating with her almost-sister Amelia Terhune and Amelia’s
boyfriend, Johnny Linton, and discovers that hope comes in many forms. - “The Christmas Surprise,”
a
Daughters of the People short story. Dani Nehring meets Dave Winstead’s
family and gets the surprise of her life. - Plus
bonus and deleted scenes
, like the
original Prologue for
Light’s Bane
(Daughters of the People, Book
2), cut before publication.
These
stories are exclusive to newsletter subscribers. You won’t find them anywhere
else, but you can download them
for free
by
subscribing to my newsletter
.
Did you enjoy this story? Let everyone
know!
Thank you for reading
The Enemy Within
, the third book
in the Daughters of the People series. Please consider leaving a review for it
at your favorite online retailer.
Dedication:
For Richard. You
know why.
Acknowledgments:
Many
thanks to Richard E. Hopkins, Jr., and my son for their continued help and inspiration.
About the Author:
Lucy
Varna lives in Georgia, surrounded by her large, extended family. Visit Lucy
online at
her website
or
Facebook page
, or visit
the Daughters online
.
* * * * *
The Daughters of the People Series
Immortal Amazons unjustly cursed,
struggling to save their People, and their hearts.
The Prophecy
(Book 1)
Maya Bellegarde journeys to Sweden on behalf of the
People. There, she meets James Terhune, an attractive language expert.
Together, they must uncover the secrets of the grave and protect it from an
ancient enemy, and Maya must decide whether or not to trust James with
her
deepest secret.
Learn more
Light’s Bane
(Book 2)
When Daniella Nehring teams up with Dave Winstead to
track down and recover stolen artifacts, her task is complicated by the
attraction she feels for the stalwart undercover FBI agent, and by her own
sinister heritage.
Read
Light’s Bane
now:
Learn more
The Enemy Within
(Book 3)
Indigo Dupree and Bobby Upton are drawn into a deadly game involving the
Prophecy of Light, forcing her to choose between her duty and her heart.
Read
The Enemy Within
now:
Learn more
Tempered
(Book 3.5)
For Hawthorne the Chronicler, a strong arm and a
sharp blade have always been her primary recourses against a cold and callous
world. When her untrusting heart is tempted by handsome comic book illustrator
Aaron Kesselman, Hawthorne learns that those may not be the best weapons in her
arsenal, particularly when her family is targeted by a member of the Eternal
Order.
Read
Tempered
now:
In All Things, Balance
(Book 4)
Moira Firebrand is intrigued by Tom Fairfax, the man
her mother tasked with sorting through the IECS Archives for clues to the
near-mythical Sanctuary. Nothing is ever as easy as it should be. The Archives
is in disarray, odd artifacts show up in the strangest places, and Moira’s own
past wedges its way between her and Tom, the one man she believes may have the
strength to capture her heart.
Coming February 2015!
* * * * *
Say Yes
Single mom Sera Noland wasn’t looking for love the
day Levi Ewart walked into her life, especially when her heart, and her son’s,
had already endured enough heartache to last a lifetime.
Coming April 2015!
* * * * *
The Witches of
Cullowhee Series
What would you do if you discovered you
were descended from a witch, and that you might have inherited some of her
otherness?
A Higher Purpose
(Book 1)
The day Adam Cowan walked into the
coffeehouse she managed, Ella Southards panicked. Here was the man of her
dreams, literally, but he had made his appearance twenty years and a failed
marriage too late for her bruised heart.
Adam came to Cullowhee to take a much needed breather from his past. In the
reluctant Ella, he sees the possibility for a fresh chance at love, if only he
can convince her to gamble on him.
As Adam persuades Ella to make a place for him in her life, she begins to
wonder at the timing of his arrival there, and if her life might hold more
promise than she'd ever dared to dream.
A Wicked Love
(Book 2)
Lacey Monahan is in a
tough place in her life. After being betrayed by her boyfriend and fired from
her job as a teacher in Portland, she seeks refuge in the mountains of western
North Carolina, where she hopes to discover the origins of her
great-great-grandmother, Abigail Pendergrass Lowry.
While there, she meets Rafe Prewitt, a former
Motocross racer with a sensual smile who sets his sights on Lacey. Though
Rafe's touch sends her over the moon, she's afraid to let another man close,
especially a good-looking, smooth-talking man with hot eyes and wicked hands.
When she's given a chance to stay in Cullowhee
and discover more about her mysterious ancestress, Lacey must make a decision:
Stay and risk having her heart broken, or return to Portland without ever
knowing if she could love again.