The Beloved Fire Page 4

  “How long have I been…out?” She was almost afraid to hear the answer, why was she “out” in the first place? He came to sit by the bed on a metal fold out chair as she took in her surroundings. She was in a small room made of metal, everything around her was silver, all except the blankets on the bed and the clothes she and Blake wore. It was like some weird first aid room, it had counters with everything on them that a doctor or nurse might need for checkups; cotton balls, sink, those weird stick things that doctors stick in your mouth that always made you want to gag from the taste. The only thing out of place was one of the counters looked like it lost a fight with a giant.

  She could feel Blake watching her as she checked out the room, oddly calm, or maybe he wasn’t wanting to tell her how long she’d been asleep.

  “A couple hours was all. I’ve been here waiting for you to wake up.”

  “I got that from how excited you sounded when I did wake up.” She scoffed before looking down to realize she was in some type of hospital gown. “Where the hell are my clothes? Where am I?” She started to throw back the covers to stand when a wave of dizziness hit her making her sit back down dangling her legs over the bed.

  Blake grunted in frustrated, “Sit down before you hurt yourself, you lost a lot of blood.”

  She could feel what little blood she apparently did have drain from her face. “What does that mean? How? The monster never touched me.”

  He reached up rubbing at his facial hair that she didn’t see on him in the library. How did it grow that so fast?

  “Listen. There is no easy way to go about this and I don’t want to play a thousand questions, I have things to do.” She could have sworn his eyes flashed red for a second, she shook her head trying to clear the tricks from her eyes. Apparently loosing blood plays with your mind. “The library and the monster. That was a dream.” She scoffed, yeah right, he just glared before continuing. “I just went about it wrong. Where you are doesn’t matter now as you’re not leaving.”

  At that he stood making a loud scraping sound from his chair pushing against the concrete making her jump. She noticed his tight black military type clothing was spotless compared to how messy he looked in the library. But he did say she was sleeping for a couple of hours, maybe he changed? He was perfectly clean now.

  “Where am I?” She slowly lowered her legs down until her toes pressed against the cold ground. Standing slowly to make it look like she wasn’t about to bolt, she glanced around for her clothes. Her mind was foggy and she couldn’t remember what she was wearing last.

  Blake watched her with an interested frustration but ignored her question. She tried again. “Fine. If you don’t have time for a thousand questions,” She made air quotes around that part to sink in her attitude. “Then why are we just standing here. Can I leave?” Now with her full weight on the floor she pushed back her unkempt hair from her face while taking a step to the door that Blake matched.

  “No.”

  “Why not?” She took another step balling up her fists.

  “Because I said.”

  “I’m not a child!” His only answer was to scoff, his lip twitching like he was holding back a smile. He took another step towards her.

  “Is this a hospital?”

  “No.”

  What was going on? Any time in her life either Ander or her parents were by her side. Not strange men who slayed monsters. Something wasn’t right. She turned fully facing him with her back to the door but still ready to run when given the chance. She needed to get a phone to call Ander. He would have a shit that she went and got herself kidnapped, which is what it was looking like had happened.

  “Then stop acting like one.” Seriously, she asked to leave and that was childish.

  Done with all the B.S cat and mouse, she turned heading for the door, almost expecting him to try and stop her but he never moved. With her ass end in the wind and her flimsy hospital gown down to her knees, she made it to the door and twisted the handle, only to be met with two bright purple eyes. She sucked in a shocked breath staring at the woman in front of her. Slowly, she stepped back into the room, as the woman walked in. She was gorgeous with long curly blonde hair that looked dipped in black ink on the ends, a super model body and a bright friendly smile.

  “Hello Mikayla, I’m Sarah. You must be awfully confused. That’s why I’m here. Please excuse Blake for his methods, he’s our dream walker here at the compound. Although they serve their purpose, they are despicable creatures.” Sarah said, giving Blake a look of pure hatred.

  Mikayla backed up to the bed, looking over to Blake who stood leaning up against the jacked-up counter with a look of boredom on his handsome face.

  “Dream walker? How did I get here, and he said I lost blood? Where am I?” With each question her heart rate raced harder in her chest.

  “Yes, and I apologize. We ran into a little bit of an issue bringing you here, but all is fine. Our healers fixed you right up, and although I have no idea what went on, I sense Blake overstepped his boundaries and for that I’m sorry. I’ve been telling the boss to put a rein on him for some years now.” Sarah said sitting in the metal fold out chair next to Mikayla’s bed.

  Mikayla grabbed at her head trying to remember anything about needing healers but only felt dizzy with a slight headache when she tried. “Okay I still don’t understand but I need to leave. Why did you take me? And again for the millionth time, where the hell am I?” She reached up to hold her star necklace only to realize it wasn’t there which made her feel more scared. She always grabbed at it when she needed comfort.

  “Enough of this Sarah, I told you I could handle this. She was mine to bring in and I’m not done with her, so leave us.”

  Sarah stood now walking to Mikayla’s side and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Was this good cop, bad cop? “That will not work this time, he has sent me in to prepare her for tonight and I believe you going against what he has ordered will be the very last thing you ever do when it comes to her.” Mikayla shrugged Sarah’s hand off and walked to the door.

  “Okay crazy one and two. I’m leaving.”

  She’d had enough of this weird stuff. No one would tell her anything and apparently, they are on some good drugs to think they could “dream walk” whatever that meant. Just as she reached the door the second time, she turned. “And where are my clothes, I don’t want to walk home in a gown.”

  Sarah walked up behind her now. “Come, they are in your room. Maybe I can help clear some things up on the way there. Blake is obviously an idiot who didn’t do his job.”

  Blake pushed back from the counter hard, heading for Sarah like an angry bull. If Sarah was scared, she didn’t show it, as for Mikayla, it was all she could do to keep still. She wanted so bad to get out of this weird place that it was making her itchy.

  Sarah stood meeting Blake just as his hands went for her throat, she held out her hand, shooting out a ball of purple light that slammed straight into him making him fly back and slam into the counter he just came from. A grunt of pain escaped him as he fell to the ground.

  “Now, if you’re done messing around, I need to get back to Mikayla.” Sarah said with a smirk to Blake like she didn’t just knock the shit out of him with magic. Mikayla’s mouth could catch flies. What in the actual fuck just happened?

  Blake just laid there unmoving with his eyes closed. “What did you do to him?” Everything up to this point had seemed like a joke, but she just saw someone shoot light out of their hands. “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?” Okay full on freak out. Mikayla flung the door open, bolting before even noticing the two hard bodied walls she ran into. The wind flew out of her and she landed hard bare assed on a polished wood floor. Ouch.

  Sarah, not in the least bit amused or concerned acted calm, like Mikayla hadn’t just tried to run away and face planted into guys with AK-47 at the ready. “Blake will be fine, unfortunately. Now, as for you. Tonight is a very special night.” She reached down helping her up. “First let me
tell you where we are. You are in our underground facility. We are a secret organization called The Watchers. We, as you could say, watch, we keep an eye out for certain people, special people who could contribute to our society. We believe you are someone very special Mikayla, we’ve had our eye on you for some time now. I know this all seems scary right now, but trust me, you will learn to love us.”

  Her heart was racing. These people were crazy if they thought she was going to stay here. “What do you mean I’ll learn to love you? I want to go home. You’re taking me back home, right?”

  Secret society? She raked her brain trying to remember if she knew how secret societies worked.

  Sarah asked, while shaking her head. “Honey you really don’t understand, do you?” She straightened her red skintight dress. “You are never, going to leave here.”

  What did she mean never? No, she couldn’t stay here forever. What about her mom and dad? What about Ander?

  Sarah held out her hand to Mikayla. “Come on now we have a lot of work to do, if we are to get you looking decent for tonight.”

  Mikayla gave Blake one last look hoping he would wake up and save her, but she knew he wasn’t going to wake anytime soon, and worst she knew he was one of them and he wouldn’t save her anyway. If the light thing was real, that meant Blake really was a dream walker, did they not realize she was nothing more than a human girl? Taking Sarah’s hand so not fall victim to her crazy light weapon that apparently shoots out of her hand, the guards moved away giving Mikayla her first view of her capturer’s home.

  She was surprised to see a fancy looking hallway. Mahogany colored the top half of the walls, the bottom decorated with a fancy gold wallpaper with crown molding separating the top and bottom half. The floors were a dark wood that amplified the noise of Sarah’s high heels as they walked. Mikayla watched as the black shiny high heels clicked against the wood trying not to think about what they were going to do with her. The guards dressed in suits, fancy black earpieces, and held their guns as they followed her and Sarah. Not that she’d ever been in the white house before, but this seemed a lot like it.

  “You really will like it more once you get to know everyone. We are only doing this to help you. We’ve seen how lonely you are, and well, we are here to fix all that. We’ve found the perfect guy.” Sarah had let go of Mikayla’s hand now, which made her feel a little better, less like a prisoner and/or a little kid.

  “Blake?”

  Sarah stopped walking at his name and turned Mikayla to face her. “No dear, like I said he is just a dream walker, you were made for someone far more worthy. Don’t ever lower yourself to someone of that level. He’s more of a body-guard, nothing more.” At that she turned pulling Mikayla along to continue their walk, making Mikayla wonder what Sarah’s role in all this was.

  “So just because you can shoot light out of your hands, you guys think it’s okay to steal women and play match-maker? What makes you think I’m going to stay here?”

  Never slowing in her walk, Sarah didn’t even spare Mikayla a glance before responding. “Because you couldn’t leave here even if you tried. And yes, I can do a hell of a lot with this light. Keep that in mind.”

  When Mikayla lagged in her walking, she was nudged in the back by one of the guard’s guns. She reached back holding her gown shut as she sped up.

  Along the walls were painted portraits of both men and women, which she didn’t recognize, they were hung in intervals with little lights placed above them and a name plate too tiny to read placed below. Mikayla continued to survey every inch as she followed her crazy light throwing kidnapper hoping to see an exit of some kind. After turning a few corners and walking down more huge hallways, guards in tow, Sarah stopped in front of a pair of huge white double doors with gold handles.

  “This is your new home, your sanctuary. We’ve prepared everything to your likes and made sure nothing of your dislikes are here.”

  “Uh huh.” Right. The only choice now was to play along with these psychos and hope they let their guard down. Literally and figuratively. She glanced back at the guards who stood unmoving. Damn they were so still they didn’t even look like they were breathing. She kind of wanted to poke one. Maybe they were like the guards in London. Just as she went to raise a hand to poke one Sarah cleared her throat turning off her ADD.

  “I’ll give you a little time to settle in and look around before I send in the staff to prepare you for tonight. The guards will be just outside if you need anything.” Sarah opened the door and shoved her in, shutting it closed behind her with the threat that gunmen stood outside. Great.

  The room, her room, was a beautiful array of black and gold silks and lace decorated throughout the space. The floor matched the same dark wood as the hallways with plush black rugs under the canopy bed and sitting area. The distressed wood bed was a huge canopy style and it looked bigger than any bed she’d seen. Alternate black and gold lace cascaded beautifully down around the mountains of pillows and black comforter with gold scroll work. She walked a little way in and saw another pair of doors to her left beside her bedroom entrance, as she pushed them open a light overhead came on lighting up the biggest walk-in closet she’d ever seen. Clothes were already hanging, with a section for shoes on the wall opposite her. There she saw every kind of shoe she could ever want. She didn’t feel the need to check the sizes, as weird as all this had been, she was sure they had her clothes and shoe size correct. If this was what being kidnapped felt like, she should have tried it long ago. The room had a secret door leading to a closet of jewelry and a bathroom with a stand-up shower and Jacuzzi tub. After checking out that space she walked back into the main room admiring her sitting area with magazines and a crystal candy bowl in the middle of a beautiful table.

  “Hmm.” She mused out loud. Wondering why they were putting her in such a nice room. She expected a jail cell. Not that she wasn’t grateful, but it confused her more.

  Everything Sarah had said sounded like she just got caught up in a sex slave-trade, expect they had super-powers. They said they watch for certain people that can benefit them and that they saw how lonely she was and wanted to hook her up with someone. She was lonely but not that f-ing lonely. The only thing that didn’t fit was the whole dream walking thing and shooting light out of someone’s hand. Plus they had obviously been watching her. She shivered rubbing her hands up and down her arms while pacing in her sitting area. She needed to find a way to get out this place and fast.

  Right before Mikayla could wear a hole in her carpet from pacing a knock at the door came, making her stop and re-adjust her flimsy hospital gown. Following the knock came in two white identical males, twins, although one was blonde, the other brown haired.

  “Hello Mikayla.” They said at the same time, which kind of freaked her out.

  “I’m Elijah.” The brown haired one said, he was paler than the other man.

  “I’m Cain.” The blonde haired one said who had sun kissed skin. “We are here to get you ready for our lord.” They said again at the same time.

  Mikayla was unsure of what to think, they were both super-hot and that was cool, but the whole trance like speaking at the same time thing was creepy. “Okay. I guess I don’t have much choice, just as long as you don’t see me naked, have at it.” Maybe she could ask their lord if he would let her leave. At this they both laughed, although at the same time, different, more on their own, and less creepy.

  “Oh honey, we are so gay we can’t even think straight.” Cain said before they both fell into another fit of giggles.

  “You’re so dumb!” Elijah said with a laugh, directed at Cain.

  “Okay.” She muttered watching the two guys laugh at their horrible joke. They stopped when they realized she didn’t find that as funny as they apparently had.

  “Whatever bitch, that was funny.” Cain said making a smile break out before she could stop it.

  “Kidnapped person here, remember?” She waved her arm in the air, pointing out this i
sn’t supposed to be fun and games.

  “We know, but there is no point in being glum about it. You’re stuck here now like the rest of us so you might as well enjoy it.” Elijah said shutting her bedroom door before putting down two black suitcases that a car could fit in.

  Cain scoffed. “Plus we did save your ass, which took half a day, so you could at least be a bit thankful.”

  This again. “Right because you all explained how I got hurt in the first place.” Putting her hands on her hips it was hard not to be sassy when they were giving her just as much back.

  Done with entertaining the captive Elijah looked at Cain, “okay, you do hair, I will do makeup and surely she can dress herself.” Cain flipped open his suitcase. She scoffed listening to them act like she wasn’t in the room.

  “Right, let’s get started.” They produced a small black chair from Elijah’s suitcase that they unfolded and sat her in and got right to work. Both keeping quiet other than to examine each-others work and make a comment here and there. Mikayla tried to get them to tell her something, or at least give her a hint as to what the hell she was getting ready for, but every time she opened her mouth, they clammed up. She was starting to feel tired and wondered if it was from the mystery incident that she had to be healed from.

  After what seemed like a two hours process, they shoved her in the bathroom with arms full of clothes, a pair of high heels and instructions not to mess up their work. She contained an eye roll, barely. As she got undressed, she glanced at the undergarments they gave her to wear. Black lace lingerie. Push up for the bra, and thong for the underwear. Now she did roll her eyes.

  “Are these items all that necessary?”

  “Your twenty-one, an adult, don’t act like you haven’t worn stuff like this before.” It was Cain that spoke or at least she thought it was. She had started to notice he was more of the grumpy one. Of course she’d worn stuff like this before, but for someone in particular, not just for the hell of it. Well, actually that was a lie. She hadn’t worn it for anyone, just herself in hopes one day it would be for someone. Wow she was pathetic. Now, here she was wearing it to go into some paranormal slave trade event.