The Sacrifice (4 page)

“All
right, ladies, I
’
ll show you to your lodging quarters, and you
’
ll
have one hour to settle in and have evening meal. All meals are delivered by
kitchen staff. If you require anything not already provided, all you need to do
is pick up the phone and ask a staff member. The long brick building houses the
classrooms and gym. We
’
ll meet in classroom C at eight o
’
clock
to go over the syllabus of activities and requirements for the next four weeks.
Your training starts first thing in the morning.” Kyra turned and left them
standing in front of their lodge.

“That
’
s one
serious female,” Riana whispered.

Elle
smirked at Kyra
’
s retreating back. “And just think. We get to
spend four whole weeks with Little Miss Congeniality.”

“Yes, we do. So, how smart do you
think it was to get on her bad side in the first two minutes?”

Elle
shrugged and headed into the lodge. “I
’
m not the one who
tried to steal her boyfriend.”

Riana
laughed and smacked Elle
’
s arm. “I did not.”

“Are you sure about that?”

They entered the lobby of the building
Kyra referred to as their quarters. A three-story mountain lodge built as an
Adirondack styled log cabin. Riana took a deep breath, pulling the aroma of
natural pine into her lungs. The floors, ceilings, walls, even the furniture
were made of natural wood. A double-sided fireplace made from mountain rock
adorned the center of the lobby, reaching to an open cathedral ceiling. Couches
sat around each side of a roaring fire, giving the large space a warm,
cottage-like atmosphere.

They moved to the concierge desk and
received their room number, and then took an elevator to the third floor. As
they opened the door to their room and stepped inside, their mouths gaped open.

“Quarters?”
Riana said. “Man, was that an understatement. This looks more like a small condo.”
She walked over and sat her bag on the bar separating the living area from a
galley kitchen. She ran her hand along the back of a tan, leather sofa, so soft
she had to check twice to make sure it wasn
’
t made of silk. A
large flat screen TV and stereo system were mounted above a gas log fireplace
covering one corner of the room.

Riana
smiled.
“See? I told
you…definitely not a prison.” The butterflies from earlier began to disappear
as she settled on the comfy couch.

“The
fridge is stocked with synthetic blood, water, and protein drinks,” Elle said
from the kitchen. “It
’
s nice. I
’
ll have to give them
that.”

They
chose their bedrooms. Each had its own bath, and a set of French-doors led onto
a large balcony. Moonlight outlined the surrounding Appalachian Mountains. She
couldn
’
t wait to see them in full sunlight. When they
first arrived the sun had set, but the entire area glowed orange from the fall
leaves atop the mountains, making it appear as if they were nestled inside a
never-ending fall bouquet. The view from the balcony overlooked a large lake
with docks and canoes.

“I
hope we have time to enjoy some of this,”
Elle said.
“I
’
d
love to hike these trails.”

“I
’
m
sure we will.” Riana inhaled the aroma of earth and evergreens. Calm settled
over her and the tightness in her muscles relaxed for the first time all day.
According to her mom, it

was the reason
Sivadians felt more energized when living in mountainous regions. The need to
feel closer to the mountains of Sivadia was embedded within their psyche.

Someone
knocked on the door. “I
’
ll get it.” Riana went to the living room and
pulled open the door.

A short man with a food tray stood in
the hallway.

“Good
evening, ma
’
am. My name is Mr. Connors. I
’
m
in charge of the kitchen and housekeeping. I deliver everyone
’
s
first meal so I can introduce myself. If there
’
s a problem with the
meals or you need anything, please call. My number is in the directory by the
phone. I
’
ll be happy to take care of it personally.”

Riana
took the tray of food. “Thank you, Mr. Connors. I
’
m
Riana Martin, and this is Elle Nichols.”

Elle reached around Riana and shook
his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. You ladies have a nice
evening.” He turned and continued pushing his food cart down the hallway.

Elle closed the door and went to the
fridge, grabbing two bottled waters.

After
dinner and a couple of glasses of synthetic blood, they went to their rooms to
change into the uniforms they had been instructed to wear. Riana
’
s
closet was filled with shiny, gray uniforms identical to the black ones Kyra
and the guards wore, minus the Protectors emblem. She held one out in front of
her. Crap! It looked like it would fit a six year old. She crossed the hall to
Elle
’
s room.
“I think they gave me the wrong size.”

“I thought so too, but I got it on.
They must be one size fits all.”

“I hope so,” Riana mumbled on the way
back to her room. She tugged one leg through the pants. It slid on easily, and
was lightweight and comfortable. She stared at herself in the full-length
mirror. The thing
fit like a second skin.
You could definitely tell a man designed them. The material accentuated every
curve. The neckline plunged down to show off just the right amount of cleavage,
without being vulgar. After pulling her long hair into a ponytail, she glanced
at the clock on the bedside table. Fifteen minutes before class. If she didn
’
t
get Elle started out the door, they
’
d never make it.

Riana
glanced at the tight uniform in the mirror, again, and shook her head
. Hope I don’
t run into Hot-Cakes wearing this thing.

After
Cy finished telling Kyra about the feeder they had captured, he glanced back at
the girl he
’
d just met. In over three hundred years of
existence, he
’
d never had such a strong reaction to a female.
From the moment he laid eyes on her, every cell in him hummed with awareness.
As if something inside him had awoken for the first time since birth. He
watched her talk to one of the other girls. Her long auburn hair hung in loose
waves across ample cleavage. He
’
d never seen a more perfectly proportioned body.

She
glanced up as if she felt his stare. Blush tinged her fair skin. Her large,
emerald eyes held him captive. Eyes that somehow seemed intimately familiar. He
shook his head. No, he
’
d never met her. She wasn
’
t
someone he would have forgotten. He smiled, and she looked away, breaking their
connection.

Cy headed toward his apartment and had
a strange urge to turn around, to go back and be near her. The horrified look
on her face when she saw the blood on his hands popped into his mind; she
wanted nothing to do with him. She regarded him as a ruthless killer, not
someone dedicated to saving lives.

Why
had he jumped to defend what he did? By letting his mother rule their race, and
masquerading as second-in-command of the Protectors, he had saved thousands of
lives. It had never mattered what people thought. But for some reason he couldn
’
t
identify, the auburn-haired beauty
’
s opinion mattered.

When
he reached his apartment, he strode straight to his bedroom, and stopped at the
entrance to the walk-in closet. He punched a code into the keypad on the wall,
and the hidden door to his personal weapons room slid open. A smile played at
the corners of his mouth as he looked around the small arsenal, his gaze
lingering on the glass display cabinet holding his father
’
s
daggers. Constructed from the strongest Sivadian metal, they were as perfect as
the day they were forged. An image of his father standing proud with the
daggers at his side flashed into Cy
’
s mind. If only he
had lived, this war would never have taken place. Father was the only person
who had ever been able to keep Vind in line.

Cy
shook his head. He had more important things to do than dwell on a past he
couldn
’
t change. He loosened the holsters strapped to his
frame and replaced his weapons. On his way to the bathroom, he grabbed the
ruined leather duster and tossed it in the garbage.

As
Cy started the hot water in the shower, he caught his reflection in the mirror.
No wonder the girl had recoiled when he introduced himself. Blood splatter
covered his face, neck and hair. He shrugged out of his fighting clothes, and
then stepped beneath the warm spray, grateful to wash away the evidence of his
profession.
I
’
ll not have someone as fair and innocent as her
see me covered in blood again.

 
After
his shower and fresh clothes, Cy picked up the phone in his office and punched
the number for the infirmary.

“Doc Regan.”

Hey,
Doc. How
’s our prisoner?
”

The older man hesitated. “What
prisoner would that be, Cy?”

“The one Miles and Kam brought in.”

“Son,
I haven
’
t seen anyone.”

A
vise tightened in Cy
’
s gut as he glanced at the clock. Miles and Kam
had plenty of time to return with the feeder. “I need to go, Doc.”

He
hung up and paced the length of his office. He shouldn
’
t
have left them. What if the prisoner called for back-up before he lost
consciousness? Cy grabbed a gun from the desk drawer and shoved it in the waist
of his jeans. He headed for the door and glanced at the screen monitoring the
courtyard on his way out. Two guards carried the unconscious feeder. Miles and
Kam followed, moving as one toward the infirmary. One of them was injured.

His
heart sank and fear rose up to greet him like an old, familiar foe. Miles had
been the brother Vind should have been. Miles had always had Cy
’
s
back and actually stopped Vind from killing him on their eighteenth birthday.
Cy couldn
’
t transport from inside the compound and tore out
of the office at a dead run.

Cy ran into the infirmary, and a loud
crash vibrated the wall as the door slammed against it.

Miles and Kam stopped in their slow
progression to an exam table and turned.

Miles
pulled his gun and pointed it at the door, as if expecting someone to be fast
on Cy
’
s heels. When no one appeared, he looked at Cy.
“What
’
s wrong with you?”

“I saw you come in here and… well… I
thought one of you was hurt.”

A
mocking smile crossed Kam
’
s face. “Aw, Cy. I didn
’
t
know you cared.”

Heat
flooded his face. “
Shut up, Kam.
”

Cy
glanced at Kam
’
s bare foot, and the dark trail of blood oozing
from a nasty gash on top. “What happened?”

“That
bastard regained consciousness enough to stab me.” Kam sat on a gurney and
propped up his injured foot. He took a cup of synthetic blood from Miles.
“Nothing a couple of these won
’
t fix.”

“Where
’
s
the prisoner?” Cy asked.

Miles
motioned toward the treatment room. “The guards took him for Doc Regan to patch
up. When Doc finishes with him and stitches Kam
’
s foot, we
’
ll
take him to the interrogation room.”

Cy
headed toward the door and then stopped. “Let the guards take the prisoner to
the cell. Oz scheduled a quick meeting with all the Protectors. As soon as Doc
finishes with Kam
’
s foot, you two come to the conference room.”

He
left the infirmary and headed to his and Oz
’
s adjoining office.
He inhaled the crisp scent of fall air deep into his lungs. Normally the
surrounding Appalachian Mountains would soothe his raw nerves, but tonight, it
didn
’
t help.

When
he entered the office, Oz sat at the desk with a deep crease furrowing his
brows. “What
’
s happened?
”

Oz
’
s
lips thinned and he shook his head. “Call it a feeling. Feeders showing up at
the same time as trainees… it reeks of one of Vind
’s plans.
At the rate he
’
s abducted our females over the last couple of
decades; his army could outnumber Protectors three to one. Training the women
to defend themselves isn
’
t enough. The only way we
’
ll
win this war is to recruit more Protectors.”

“You
’
re
right,” Cy said. “I
’
ll insist on another increase of our forces at
next week
’
s meeting with the Royal Council. The last time I
mentioned it, those assholes acted like I
’
d asked for the
moon.”

“You
are the future king, Cy. Don
’
t let the council sway you. You know the queen
will do whatever you want. You
’
re the ones who hold the power, not the other way
around.”

Cy
’
s
fingers scrubbed across the day
’
s growth of stubble on his chin. One of the best
decisions he
’
d ever made was choosing Oz as commander of the
Protectors. He had been his father
’
s most trusted friend
and advisor, and a fundamental part of his and Vind
’
s
childhood. If anyone knew his twin as well as him, it was Oz.

***

Cy sat in the conference room with Oz
and thirty-six other Protectors assigned to the Southeastern United States.
Everyone was parked around the long conference table when Kam and Miles
arrived.

“
Hey guys,
” Oz said. “Good work out there tonight.”

Cy and Oz exchanged a prideful glance
as each of the tight-knit group of fighters stood and pulled Miles and Kam into
a quick man-hug. A sturdy pat on the back and, “Good job,” echoed throughout
the room. Their mutual commitment to stopping the slaughter of innocent lives
was an unbreakable bond.

Cy
pushed down a sliver of guilt that tried to rear its ugly head. Guilt that his
brother was the one who had started this war. Guilt that he couldn
’
t
stop the carnage Vind and his followers inflicted on humanity and Sivadians. At
least only a few of his fighters knew his true identity. A strange stirring
started in the center of his chest as the image of long auburn hair and emerald
green eyes flashed into his mind.
She really would look at him with disgust
if she knew his twin was one of the most evil Sivadians to ever hit Earth.

Cy
had never allowed himself to become involved with a female. Even though he
longed for something more than a one-night-stand, it wasn
’
t
an option as long as Vind was free. Since childhood his brother had destroyed
everything he
’
d loved.

“Doc
Regan called a few minutes ago with an update on the prisoner,” Oz said,
drawing everyone
’
s attention. “He
’
s shown signs of
coming around. We need answers to why they were here. When this meeting
’
s over
we
’
ll get back out there and make sure there are no
more feeders lurking around this area.” Several agreements and a few expletives
came from Protectors around the table.

“Fifty
females arrived at this compound tonight. I don
’
t have to tell you
the extremes our enemy will go to get their hands on those girls. Above
everything, their safety comes first. As an extra precaution, we
’
ve
called in some of the West Coast Protectors to help us search Asheville and the
surrounding towns. If Vind suspects we
’
re here, they
’
ll
start killing humans first to flush us out. This extra muscle should be
sufficient until we know how much of a threat there is. If this is bigger than
we think, we
’
ll send the girls home and pull in some of our
European Protectors.

“Since
the search so far hasn
’
t turned up more feeders, for now, it may be
overkill to confine the ladies to the compound. We
’
ve
decided to only allow them to leave in groups. I
’
m
sure this next part will not hurt any of your feelings. One of you will be
assigned to guard each group of five ladies.”